


Date A Live: Nia Chronicle

by 0bi



Category: Date A Live
Genre: Angst, Angst and Tragedy, Awkward Dates, Comic-Con, Depression, Developing Relationship, F/M, Fights, Flashbacks, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Love Confessions, Romance, Romantic Comedy, Sad Ending, Schizophrenia, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-06
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-19 11:46:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 55,295
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29874162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/0bi/pseuds/0bi
Summary: The story takes place after Mukuro Family and "replaces" Kurumi Refrain. Nia, the otaku Spirit, slowly realizes that she does not only feel gratitude and friendship towards Shidou... As the war between Ratatoskr and DEM becomes inevitable, Nia will try to figure out her own feelings... and eventually to confess them?
Relationships: Honjou Nia / Itsuka Shidou





	1. A Hero

Tenguu City.

A city well known in Japan for several reasons: its incredibly large range of entertainment facilities, its huge population… and the extravagant amount of natural disasters occurring there, known as spacequakes.

The most surprising fact was probably that despite these recurrent destructions and disasters, Tenguu City was still bursting with activity, and very few people moved out the city.

The inhabitants also took pride in staying there: they had basically included the spacequakes in their daily life, proving once again that mankind could adapt to any situation.

The majority of the world did not know that these disasters were due to certain existences called 'Spirits', who possessed inhuman powers and caused spacequakes each time they would appear.

These Spirits usually took the form of young and beautiful girls. If it was not for their Astral Dresses – magical armors – and their Angels bringing destruction, none could have guessed they were inhuman beings.

No one knew where they came from, or what was their purpose. Some of the Spirits were passive but the destructions they caused by only appearing caused a lot of grief.

Only a few portion of the military in Japan were aware of that threat and thus created the AST, the Anti-Spirit Team to counter what they considered the enemies of humanity.

The AST was a secret branch of the JSDF.

These talented people –all women– were chosen for their ability to use the Realizer, a device that allowed one to control everything in his surroundings.

It gave them tremendous power, the ability to twist the reality in a certain scale and to fly.

However, the AST was no match for the Spirits.

Even with this much power, they could only (barely) hold the Spirits off and then repair the damages caused.

Some of the AST members would sarcastically call themselves high tech janitors.

And amidst this secret war, two organizations were seeking for the Spirits.

Ratatoskr and Deux Ex Machina Industries, alias DEM.

The first wanted to protect the Spirits and shelter them.

To be exact, their method was to make them fall in love, seal their powers and then allow them to live normal human lives to prevent them from going wild.

This way, they would prevent the spacequakes without killing the Spirits.

The second wanted to hunt them down and make experiments to simply steal their powers and use them to dominate the world.

They had a great deal of influence (being one of the main Realizer suppliers and manufacturers), even among the governments, using their authority to issue gag orders or to hide their deeds.

Despite these advantages, to DEM's disappointment, Ratatoskr had so far managed to successfully seal ten Spirits.

Tohka, codename Princess.

Yoshino, codename Hermit.

Kaguya and Yuzuru, codename Berserk.

Kotori, codename Efreet.

Miku, codename Diva.

Natsumi, codename Witch.

Origami, codename Angel.

Nia, codename Sister (although her Sephira Crystal, the source of her power, had been stolen by DEM).

And Mukuro, codename Zodiac.

It was thanks to their technology, method and perseverance, but especially to Itsuka Shidou, the boy gifted with the power to seal the Spirits' powers… through a kiss.

Shidou's task was to seduce the Spirits and to seal their powers, with the support of Ratatoskr.

It was understood that he was the ace of Ratatoskr. In fact, without Shidou, Ratatoskr would be inoperative: without him to seal the Spirits powers, they would have no means to apply their ideals.

DEM was perfectly aware of that and was trying to use it to their advantage.

Their main method to harvest the Spirits powers was to make them go Inverse, a form they would reach only by feeling a bottomless despair, and then to take away their Qlipha Crystals.

They had successfully Inversed Tohka by nearly killing Shidou in front of her.

Normally, bringing back an Inversed Spirit to its former self was impossible, yet Shidou had managed to do it, once again going against DEM's plans.

Even without his ability, because of his very existence and his ability to bother their plans, Shidou was a threat to DEM.

But in a certain way, he could also become a formidable asset for their plans.

Everything pointed out that they would gladly repeat the experiment they had done with Tohka, especially now that Shidou was dear to all the Spirits he had sealed.

It was safe to say that with each passing day, Shidou's bond with the other Spirits was growing stronger.

Which was a good thing for Ratatoskr, as it meant the Spirits were more and more stable… but also for DEM.

Indeed…

What if the source of the Spirits stability, of their happiness, of their hope… were to die in front of them?

At this point, it was certain that killing Shidou in front of the Spirits would Inverse them.

* * *

"I'm home…" Shidou murmured while taking off his shoes and closing the door of the Itsuka house.

Of course, the latter was empty since Kotori was either at school or working aboard the Fraxinus and his parents were working abroad.

In truth, his parents were Ratatoskr employees as well, but he had only learned it recently. Not that it mattered, in the end.

Shidou sighed heavily while dropping his bag and his Raizen High School uniform on the floor.

He groaned, knowing that he would have to pick them up later, but gave up and walked in the kitchen.

(What a day… )

Shidou opened the fridge and treated himself a glass of milk.

The coldness of the liquid relieved him a bit.

Once refreshed, he sat on the sofa and recalled his disastrous day.

It was supposed to be another day of his daily life as a high school student.

And yet, this very morning, Shidou had found Tobichii Origami almost naked under his sheets.

She was by her own words "replenishing her Shidou's smell and sweat reservoir".

Of course, the instant Shidou had tried to move her, Kotori had entered the bedroom only to see his big brother apparently embracing Origami in the morning.

Called a pervert by his little sister and a beast of sex by Origami, Shidou had ran away from his house, going to school with his belly empty, having missed the chance to get a breakfast.

What had awaited him at Raizen High School was a true festival of misfortunes.

The jealousy and curses from his fellow classmates, the endless competitions between Kaguya and Yuzuru, Origami's intrusions in his classroom, Tohka's blunders, Miku and Mukuro's unexpected visit to snatch him away…

There were days where he wished he could just lead a boring life of background characters.

On his way back home, Shidou had met Yoshino and Natsumi playing together and joined them.

Unfortunately, the infernal trio of Raizen High School, Ai, Mai and Mii had surprised him and baptized him the "Worst Cheater Lolicon".

He was certain to have rumors running on his back the next day.

"Yare, yare… I can't believe people dream of living with so many girls…" Shidou murmured.

Many manga or anime he read from time to time had this "harem" fantasy where the main character would attract girls like flies.

Shidou could relate in a way but… it seemed way better in media. He was not really feeling proud or good about having all the Spirits trying to snatch him.

He felt like a prey amidst a herd of predators…

"No… that's mean. They like me, they have no ill intentions…"

Stretching his body, he then put his empty glass on the living room's table.

"… since I took the responsibility to save them, I guess that's only justice to take care of them, huh…"

Shidou smiled wryly and shook his head slowly.

Of course, he did not regret any of his actions. He had to save these girls.

He wanted to. He wanted them not to be alone.

Being alone was scary, cold and painful. Shidou didn't want anyone to feel like this. If possible, he wanted everyone to live a happy, colorful life.

And with these girls, his own life was agitated, restless… and colorful.

His current situation resulted from his actions. He didn't have any regret and could only keep going forward.

"Still, I would not refuse a few days of vacations… as if it was possible…"

Shidou chuckled lightly.

Given his position as Ratatoskr's main asset, Shidou was far from living a peaceful life and having some vacations was out of question.

Especially now, as Ratatoskr and DEM were literally at war.

Neither Kotori nor Elliott Woodman, Ratatoskr's chairman, had any idea of DEM's next move. Whatever they were planning, it would not mean anything good for the Spirits they were trying to protect.

They knew that they someone would pull through, but at what cost?...

Shidou was afraid that his friends would get hurt. He was not as powerless as before, as he could use in a certain measure the Spirits powers but still…

(Well, it's not like worrying about it will make things better. For now, I have homework to do...)

It truly was ironic for Shidou to be studying now, in a certain way. Amidst that open war between wizards, Spirits and secret organizations, he still had to pass his finals and secure his year.

Kotori herself had lectured him about this topic.

"Sure, graduating would be meaningless if DEM were to kill you. But since you aren't allowed to die, once all this mess is over, you will _need_ to graduate. So even if you are to die from exhaustion, you will study hard and get your certificate!"

Which resulted in Shidou studying every evening since then, even if it meant that he often fell asleep on his desk.

Shidou picked up his school bag and uniform, quickly wiped off the dust on them. As he climbed the stairs to his room, an idea crossed his mind.

(A bath would be nice…)

He could imagine how the hot water would relax his body and mind. Only thinking about it was enough to make him dizzy.

As he reached the doorstep of his bedroom, Shidou noticed something.

The room was completely dark. He couldn't see anything inside.

(… Strange. I clearly remember that I opened my shutters this morning?...)

Shidou carefully stepped inside, looking for the switch on the wall.

His foot touched something on the floor.

It took Shidou several seconds to understand that–

Someone was lying in front of him, motionless. Heavy.

Yeah, it was…

_A corpse._

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH?!"

Shidou shrieked, moving away from the corpse in panic.

His back bumped against the wall as he stumbled and fell on his butt.

"Hmmrgnn…"

"Hyah?!"

To Shidou's surprise, the corpse emitted a groan and began to wriggle slowly.

Slowly, his heartbeat calmed down as he identified _that_ person.

Spiky grey hair.

Red square-framed glasses.

Turquoise blue eyes.

A thin body, lacking curves, and yet appealing.

"…Nia?"

It was her.

The one lying on the floor, a few meters from him was none other than Nia Honjou, who was the author of the manga [SILVER BULLET] under the pen name of Souji Honjou.

Nia, alias Sister, was the Second Spirit, though she had been the ninth to be sealed by Shidou.

Nia, in addition of being a fierce otaku, was actually a lot older than what she looked like. If her body was the still in its early twenties, she was in reality at least forty years old.

Because of that, her behavior oscillated between an older sister and a child, not taking into account her otaku slang.

Shidou's eyes were now used to the obscurity and what he saw made him blush: Nia, in underwear, was lying in front of him in a somewhat erotic pose.

"Hmmm…you're so noisy, Boy…"

Nia yawned, scratching her head with a dizzy expression.

"Excuse me… no, wait, in the first place, why are you lying in my bedroom half naked in the dark?!"

Shidou couldn't help but shout.

"Ara? Sharp eyes you have there."

"I don't need sharp eyes to notice such a thing!"

"If you say so. I'm pretty sure Boy leveled up his vision in order to peek at my thin body."

"Why would I do thaaat?!"

It took Shidou a few minutes to calm down.

* * *

Nia and he were now talking in his bedroom, with the shutters now open.

Shidou sat at his desk, and Nia, not yet fully awake, jumped on his bed.

Shidou tried to ignore the fact that an almost naked girl was rolling lazily on his bed.

"So, Nia, can you explain me why you were sleeping on the floor with the shutters closed in underwear?"

"Ahhh, that's right… I wanted to draw a certain scene. I couldn't get to it, so I decided to reproduce it IRL. It's for my next doujin."

"What kind of scene is it, for you to be half naked in my bedroom?!" Shidou choked.

"Well you see, it'll be a R18 one. Care to know more? ~"

"Since when do you draw adult doujins?! No, don't tell me!"

Nia's eyes sparkled and a mischievous smile blossomed on her face.

"By the way, Boy, how long do you intend to stare at me? Perhaps…you want to touch?" she said teasingly while pointing out her body.

"No way!" Shidou protested. "And don't change the subject so casually!"

Nia feigned a tear.

"Oh? So my thin, miserable body is not good enough for your lustful hands? So mean!"

"How did it come to that! And stop caressing your thighs!"

Shidou calmed down then coughed.

He didn't dislike these tsukkomi with Nia but he had work and he wanted to relax in the bathtub after this exhausting day.

"Say, Nia, don't you have work to do? How's [SILVER BULLET] going?" Shidou asked.

Despite being a Spirit and having her Sephira Crystal stolen by DEM, Nia was still working as a pro mangaka. The loss of the biggest part of her powers didn't change anything to her status.

Her work, [SILVER BULLET], a big hit put on hiatus years ago due to her capture by DEM, had now resumed.

Thus, Shidou was surprised that Nia could afford to work on other… projets and waste time by visiting him casually.

He had never heard of a mangaka having it so easy.

Nia made a serious face.

"Mmh. You're right. I do have work, in fact. I didn't finish the next chapter yet and the deadline is drawing near."

"When?

"Actually, tomorrow."

"So what are you waiting for?!" Shidou yelled.

Nia smiled.

"Don't worry, Boy. I'll have little Natsumin help me. Her support abilities are SSS ranked."

"Does she even know you plan to use her?"

"The end justifies the means. She's the best tool… hum… assistant I've ever had."

"You just said tool, didn't you?!"

"Did I? Tee-hee~" Nia tilted her head..

"Don't you tee-hee me! Yes you did! And it doesn't mean anything since you never took an assistant before! At least tell me that you're properly paying her!"

"Ehh? Of course. Who do you take me for? Even Uncle Scrooge pays his employees, so why wouldn't I?"

"I thought you would only make Japanese-content related references?!"

"Well, I don't like Scrooge as much as I like JoJo's, but the art and the style are pretty interesting from my Japanese point of view."

Shidou sighed. Talking with Nia always ended up with him shouting and her teasing him.

Her personality was unpredictable and she would always win their battles. Only Kotori was able to shut her down.

Maybe, that was because of the age difference?

(Ugh…I better not say that…)

"Oya oya, Boy. What's with the depressed face? Had a hard day?" Nia asked cheerfully. "Did a jealous girl tried to stab you because you cheated on her?"

"What's with that creepy reference here?!"

"But when you think about it, both Makoto and you literally have a harem. It surely is pleasant but dangerous too. If you make the bad choice, you will get a death ending and your head will end up in the bag of a psychotic girl."

"Stop iiiiit!"

"Here's my writing tip of the day: too much waifu will destroy your laifu! Find someone you truly love and cherish her to the end!"

"Since when do you give such tips?!"

"Aww, Boy, you were supposed to answer 'Just Monika' here! Didn't you play the game?"

"I'm not good in English, so I can't play non-Japanese games…"

"Oh. Perhaps you want me to give you special lessons? ~ Do you want to trigger the older teacher flag?"

"Stooop right theeere!"

* * *

Nia eventually decided to stop teasing Shidou and left the Itsuka house to get back home. If she took too much time, she would never meet the deadline.

She was living by herself in a luxurious apartment near the shopping district (and had actually ambushed Shidou there the first time they met).

Wrapped in a parka and wearing a muffle to protect her from the evening cold wind, Nia was walking in the street.

There were many people coming back home after work, or even students leaving cram school.

And all of them were frowning at Nia, who was talking aloud to herself with ample gestures, moans and grunts.

"Aaaaaagh, why did I do that?!" Nia growled, scaring an old grandma carrying a bag of groceries.

When she recalled what had happened earlier, she suddenly blushed and buried the lower part of her face under her muffle.

In truth, she didn't have a doujin scene to write which required a particular situation.

She was not even drawing a doujin to begin with. All this set up was just… a set up. A lie. A pretext.

To Nia's embarrassment, the truth was…

She just wanted to see Shidou.

She wanted to tease him, to provoke him, to see him reacting to her tsukkomi. She wanted to hear his voice.

"What's wrong with me?!" Nia exclaimed, as a group of children in uniform took a glance at her with worried faces. "Why am I behaving like a young maiden in love despite the fact I'm thrice the age of Boy?!"

She could hear people whispering and mothers telling "don't look at her" to their children but didn't mind them.

The last sun shafts suddenly illuminated the street, blinding her for a second. Because of that, she almost hit a lamppost.

She breathed in deeply, trying to calm down.

… _I just want to talk to Boy because I don't know how to repay him. I don't know how to express my gratitude… or no, is it some curse? Some ailment?!_

"NO!" she suddenly yelled, causing everyone in a ten meters radius to scare jump. "I have the right to do this with Boy! He always sees the other girls at school, and they live right next to his house! Only I can't be with him daily! That's it! It's only fair for me to visit him!"

Nia kept talking to herself until she reached the mansion where she was living.

Because of her act in public, an urban legend would be born, describing a crazy yet beautiful girl talking to herself every evening in the same street.

Nia quickly entered her apartment, closed the door behind her, pulled off her clothes and threw herself on her bed, occupied by books and dakimakura.

There was only enough place for her, as her room – as well as the entire floor – was also invaded by books, light novels, mangas, games and consoles.

Her face against the mattress, Nia breathed in and out loudly again.

Her heart was beating fast, and yet, it was painful.

"Really…what's happening to me…"

* * *

After taking a shower, Nia invited Natsumi to help her to achieve the next chapter of her manga, [SILVER BULLET], before the deadline.

As she had transformed once into a manga artist, Natsumi now possessed the abilities of a pro assistant and was very talented.

She was a petite girl with jade eyes and a messy hair of the same color. However, her personality was quite the thing.

Natsumi was unconfident, very quick to depress or to imagine the worst outcome, be it for her or the others.

In reality, she was a timid, kind person who wanted to be liked and noticed by the others.

That was why, even if she would protest at first and claim she was not fit for the job, she would always accept to give Nia a hand.

And she would always regret it, since Nia would always call her the day before the deadline.

* * *

**Later, the same night…**

"….curse you…." Natsumi muttered, her face lying on her desk invaded by paper sheets, pens and inks.

Both Nia and Natsumi were currently at Nia's workplace (a different room in her apartment). Originally, there was only one desk as Nia used to work alone, but she had another installed due to Natsumi's visits to help her.

"What is it, Natsumin?..." Nia asked, roughly in the same position as Natsumi and at least as tired as she was.

Several bottles of energy drinks and cups of coffee could be seen on their respective desks.

Both of them were so limp they looked like human slugs. Even for people with pro mangakas abilities, achieving five entire pages in one night was harassing.

One could even call it a violation of human rights.

"….why do you always neglect the deadline…" Natsumi complained.

"…being short on the deadline is part of the mangaka status, Natsumin."

"…what are you even saying…and why are you in underwear…"

"This is a privilege of mine…"

Nia often worked in underwear, as it was more comfortable to her. Natsumi, however, was wearing a petite dress with stockings matching her hair color.

With a great effort, Natsumi lifted her body from the desk and yawned so hard her jaw almost went off.

"Still, I'm worried about the inking…"

"Don't. It was perfect… Natsumin, if you keep worrying so much, you will end up as bald as Master Roshi."

"Guhh…"

Nia stretched her body, yawning too.

"Still, thanks for your hard work. You really saved me."

Natsumi blushed a bit. She was still not used to compliments and acknowledgement.

"…you welcome. Mind if I take a nap on your bed before going back home?..."

"Oh, I hoped you would sleep here. I love my Tokiya's dakimakura, but I believe you are exceptional as well!"

"Pervert…you are talking like Miku…"

Natsumi sighed and left the workspace.

Nia took some time to admire their finished product and imitated Natsumi minutes later, turning off the lights of her workspace.

(Hmm, I'm tired as can be, but I wouldn't mind reading a bit. So, what will it be tonight? I still the have the last volumes of OreShura and Maoyuu to read… So, romcom or economics?... But, but, I bought yesterday the last Saijaku Muhai no Bahamut…)

Debating with herself, Nia reached her room and unconsciously walked to one of her many libraries, the one where she piled up all the volumes she had not read yet.

"Nia…"

Natsumi, lying on the bed, called her.

"Hmm?" Nia did not turn back, too busy to choose her reading of the night.

"Nia..."

Nia turned back, as Natsumi's call was somewhat insistent.

"What is it, little Natsum…OH!" Nia gasped.

Nia's bed was cramped with books, leaving only enough place to lie down. Natsumi was holding something she had found under the pillow.

On the cover was a boy in high school uniform who strongly resembled Shidou.

Which made sense, since this book was the one created by Ratatoskr, Shidou, Natsumi and the other Spirits in order to make Nia fall in love with Shidou.

Natsumi was harboring a weird expression.

After the troubles caused by DEM at that time, Nia had opened her heart to Shidou, allowing him to seal her powers.

However, she and Natsumi were probably the only Spirits who, even if they had a strong bond with Shidou, were not in love with him.

Compared to Tohka, Origami, Miku or even Kaguya and Mukuro, they considered Shidou like a close friend, but not as a potential lover (Yoshino too had a liking for him, but that route was forbidden by the law).

That was the reason why Natsumi was quite surprised to find this doujin hidden under Nia's pillow: even if she loved to tease Shidou, Nia was "officially" not in love with him… and, far too old for him.

As Shidou was still a high school student and Nia in her forties, it was technically illegal for them to have _that_ kind of relation.

Uneased by the silence, Natsumi eventually spoke up with a blank voice:

"…why do you hide it under your pillow?..."

"…"

Nia remained silent, and suddenly burst into laughter.

"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! This is absolutely not what it looks like!"

Her mechanical laughter was absolutely not convincing.

"…"

"Don't give me such a suspicious glare! I'm not a young heroine of shoujo manga who hides under her pillow her most precious treasure given to her by the boy she loves!" Nia precipitately said, raising her hands.

"… Nia… by chance… do you love Shidou?" Natsumi asked, with a mix of timidity and curiosity.

"…"

This time, Nia remained silent, struck by the straightforwardness of the question.

However, Natsumi's face quickly turned into a gloomy expression.

"I don't know if you do, but you know, being in love is quite dangerous… what if Shidou does not love you but only sees you as a friend? If you confess your feelings and only obtain a "let's just be friends, okay?" in return, you'll feel ashamed and hurt, and your relation with Shidou will never be the same, because the awkwardness between you two will remain and increase little by little and one day you–"

"Sssstttttoooop right there!" Nia screamed. "I didn't say anything! I'm too old for Boy, thirty year too old even if my body is… wait, what are you making me say! And why do you always think things will go bad?!"

"Sorry…" Natsumi apologized, bowing her head lightly.

"…keep that for yourself, okay?" Nia begged. "I don't know myself…what's happening to me. So, I don't want the others to know, alright? I'll pay you double if you keep your mouth shut, Natsumin!"

"…right…"

In the end, money was the one and unique solution.

After paying Natsumi and seeing her off, Nia fell on her bed, rolling and pulling her grey hair with force, groaning and moaning.

(Uaaaaaaaaaaaaah, I'm so ashamed I could die! Why did I have to hide it there?! And why did she find it?! Or, does Natsumi have a special Detection Skill?! Gaaaaah!)

Half an hour later, Nia eventually calmed down and, exhausted by her night of work and her crisis, remained still.

And, unconsciously, her hand reached for the book hidden under her pillow.

She began to read the adventures of Itsuka Shidou, a high school student who met Spirits rejected by the entire world, as he accepted and saved them one after the other.

A hero who never gave up on any circumstances, who fell, who got hurt…but always get back on his feet to save people he barely knew, only because he didn't want them to feel alone.

Because that was just the kind of person he was.

(A hero…) Nia thought, closing the book, as sleep finally took over her.

But even when her eyelids closed, a warm feeling remained inside her chest. She didn't know what it was, but it was so warm.

* * *

Itsuka Kotori, Shidou's adoptive little sister, was peacefully sleeping in her room when a particular ringing woke her up.

She used to know it: it was an alarm call from the Fraxinus, the flagship of Ratatoskr always patrolling above Tenguu City.

Kotori took the time to tie her hair with her black ribbons before answering the call with a stern yet dizzy voice.

"Yes."

"Kotori? Sorry to bother you."

"It's fine, Reine. Straight to the point, please.I guess you're not calling at this hour to tell me good news…"

Reine Murasame was the chief analysist of the Fraxinus and Kotori's best friend. Despite her sleepless look and voice, she was a talented officer always present for the others.

"… Alright. There is an irregularity with the readings of one of the Spirits. It seems... her mood and feelings towards Shidou have an issue."

"An issue? What do you mean?"

"… It's complicated. The wavelengths seem perturbed, I have no idea what might happen, were it to get worse."

Kotori felt her heart throbbing.

A bad feeling seized her.

"…who?"

"Nia."


	2. Love Me My Little Shidou

The next day, Kotori, in her usual commander uniform, was with Reine on Fraxinus bridge.

It also served as a command and control room: the large space was filled with screens and seats for the crew. Kotori's desk was above all of them, as it was fit for the commander.

The other crewmembers were also present, though they were busy with various tasks: only Kannazuki, the masochist yet talented vice-commander, was listening to Kotori and Reine.

Actually, Kannazuki was doing Hindu squats on Kotori's order, as he had suggested that Nia and Shidou should experiment a BSDM private club in order to deepen their bond(age) together.

Kotori had thought about having him tied up and hanging from Fraxinus reactor but had changed ger mind.

"Now that we can talk between adults, Reine, please explain" Kotori said, giving a cold glare to the sweating yet happy Kannazuki.

"Please, Commander! Keep giving me death glares like this!"

"Yes."

Reine while ignoring Kannazuki, manipulated her screens and several readings appeared in front of them.

There was the representation of Shidou's body, where waves of different colors were running inside out, like a cycle. The other screens displayed the Spirits data.

"For practical reasons, I depicted the different reiha flows with different colors. They represent the passes between Shin and the Spirits."

Even after months, Reine was still mistaking Shidou's name. Shidou himself had get used to it at this point.

A small board on the top right of the screen had pictures of the Spirits with the related colors. Tohka's was violet, Yoshino's was deep blue, the Yamai sisters's green, Miku's pink, etc.

Reine then pointed a light blue line with a pen.

"As you can see on this picture, this one, representing Nia's reiha, is somehow stuck inside and outside Shin's body."

"Inside and outside?" Kotori repeated, frowning.

"Yes. It looks like Nia's reiha barely circulates between her and Shin, as if it was blocked by something."

Kotori's Chupa-Chups almost broke between her teeth when she reminded _this._

"… do you mean, _this_ will happen again?"

Kotori was mentioning the event known as "Itsuka Disaster", where Shidou had lost control of his powers, as the reiryoku stuck inside his body had overwhelmed him.

This incident had happened because the pass between Shidou and the Spirits had weakened. They had eventually managed to save him, but they all clearly remembered it.

Kotori especially, as she had almost killed her brother in order to prevent him from causing a giant scale disaster.

Even if things were now fine, this Disaster was a grim reminder that she had once failed as a commander, and as a little sister…

"The chances of this happening again are low" Reine answered, "as the only reiryoku concerned is Nia's. It is not enough to cause an issue right now, but…"

"But?"

"But if it gets worse, it can provoke a chain reaction inside Shin's body. Needless to say, we have to take care of that matter as soon as possible."

Kotori chewed her Chupa-Chups and pondered.

There was one thing that was weird to her.

"And you are saying that the signature is Nia's?"

"Yes. The readings between her and Shin have been slightly irregular these last weeks, but given their bond and the fact that Nia doesn't see Shin as often as the others, we didn't perceive it as a problem" Reine explained.

As Nia was not "formally" in love with Shidou, and because the sealing of her powers had been quite chaotic, Ratatoskr's analyzers didn't find strange that the values of Nia were different from the other Spirits.

After all, Natsumi's values were the same.

They trusted and liked Shidou, but didn't _love_ him.

"Commander, I have an idea!" Kannazuki suddenly spat, between two squats.

"Go on."

"I think that if Shidou and Nia explore together the crossdressing universe, they will find their true selves! After all, Shidou can transform into Shiori, and Nia can easily disguise as a man, due to her lack of curves!"

"Rejected. By the way, since you seem to like squats, you will do 10 series of 1 000 every morning for an entire week."

"Thank you very muuuuch!"

Kotori ignored the beaming smile of Kannazuki and tapped the armrest of her chair with her fingertips.

They had to take action quickly. They could not take the risk of having another Itsuka Disaster happening…

Especially that last time, they had been lucky no civilian were around. Who knew what could happen, next time?

"Summon Nia here now" she finally ordered.

"Are we opting for a direct approach?" Reine asked.

"Yes. We don't know what will be DEM's next move. We better solve the Nia matter now, or else, it could backfire later."

"Roger that."

One hour later, Kotori, Reine and Nia were alone in the conference room of Fraxinus around a table.

Kotori and Reine were having tea but Nia –in pajamas under her coat- had asked for a black coffee.

Due to her almost sleepless night, she was yawning every few seconds and had heavy bags under the eyes.

"Imouto-chan, that's bad…" she complained. "I planned to sleep the entire day, so why did you have to break into my apartment?... I thought that I would be safe in my own home!"

"Break? Safe? Maybe if your security code was not 1234, you would be safer!" Kotori replied with a harsh tone.

It didn't really matter to Ratatoskr who could hack into almost any system but Kotori also wanted to show Nia how careless she was.

"Guh… so what is it, Imouto-chan?" Nia questioned. "You ought to have a good reason to convoke this powerless me alone… Perhaps… no, you have enough of my jokes and want to turn me into a mechanical doll that will serve you like the mafia?!"

Kotori did not pay attention to Nia's usual nonsense and teasing tone. Instead, she gave Reine a nod.

Reine showed Nia a portative screen with the same readings of the day before displayed on.

"Oh, is this Boy?"

Nia frowned and get closer, analyzing the data in front of her. Her face became serious and somehow anxious.

"…these irregular lines… they are mine, right?"

"Yes" Reine nodded.

"And…since this is Boy's body, it means?..."

"Yes."

Silence took place, as Nia was staring at the screen with a blank face.

"Nia. What is happening?" Kotori firmly asked. "Did something happen with Shidou? Why is the bond between you two perturbed?"

Nia gave Kotori an embarrassed "teee-hee" and scratched her head.

"Hmm…how would I explain it… let's say, this is Steins;Gate's choice, okay?"

"Cut off your crappy jokes and filthy otaku references" Kotori retorted. "You do not seem to understand how serious the situation is, so let me explain it to you."

When Nia heard Kotori's sharp tone, she immediately stopped grinning and gulped.

"Even if that damned Westcott stole your Qlipha Crystal, you still have a little bit of reiryoku inside of you. The chances of you turning Inverse are very low, but still exist. You are still a Spirit."

Kotori pointed her finger at Nia.

"But that's not the main issue here. The main issue here is your _emotions_. You share a bond, a pass with Shidou, but you are not the only one. At the present time, Shidou's body is the receptacle of ten different reiryoku. If one is perturbed, the chances of having it causing a chain reaction are not negligible."

She paused and took off a new Chupa-Chups out of her breast pocket.

"I'm sure you know what happened the last time where Shidou's reiryoku was perturbed, right?"

Nia nodded.

"Of course I remember. He freed me with his "Ougi Roaring Flash Blast Wave"!" Nia said, quoting the original technique created by Shidou during his chuuni period.

"Yes, that– no, that's not what I was talking about!"

"I'm just kidding. I know that Boy turned a berserk time bomb and nearly died…"

Kotori coughed. Each time she talked with Nia, she had the feeling of her being the adult and Nia the kid.

"Back to the main topic. There are two perturbations in the readings: the first is coming from you, and the latter causes the second. As a result, the reiryoku between Shidou and you has troubles to achieve its cycle."

Reine sipped her cup of tea and looked at Nia in the eyes.

For some reason, her dizzy yet serious look made Nia uneasy.

"Nia. If you do not tell us what is happening, it is possible that it will endanger Shin."

This time, Nia did not try to laugh it off.

She bowed her head and averted her gaze.

"Nia. Do you have an issue with Shin? Did something happen, like an argument?"

"No, that's… I mean…"

Nia couldn't find her words.

To her own – as well as Kotori's and Reine's – surprise, she blushed.

"… I, myself, don't really understand my own feelings. I mean, it tingles, yet it hurts. It reminds me of when I fell in love with Tokiya… but since I only fell in love with 2D characters, I'm not sure… besides, I already have a waifu even though it's a male…"

Kotori facepalmed when she heard Nia's confused explanations.

The had thought Nia and Shidou had a dispute or something like this. But the truth seemed completely different, and barely real.

Kotori gave Nia a strange glare.

"Nia, do you love Shidou?" she then asked.

Nia froze and then smirked.

"Heeee, no way, no way, no way! As I told you, I already love someone: Tokiya, my first love from [CHRONICLE]! This warm feeling inside my chest is probably… only gratitude, that's it! I just want to repay Boy! Like that dragon maid who only wants to help!"

Kotori and Reine stared at her, obviously not convinced.

"…Why are you looking at me with such suspicious looks, like I'm a terrorist with a Power Ranger mask who plants bombs while leaving riddles behind her?!"

Nia felt cold sweat running down her temples, as she was under Kotori and Reine's glare, eyebrows raised.

Stare…

Staare…

Staaare…

Staaaare…

"Stop that! I'm telling you, I opened my heart to Boy, but that's all there is to it, I swear! Even if Boy is cool as a manga main character and cute and easily flustered, it's not like I love him or anything! After all, I can only fall in love with 2D! So!"

Nia was now yelling, like someone found guilty and desperately trying to deny the facts.

Kotori closed her eyes and put a hand on her forehead.

A few seconds later, she left her chair and smiled.

"…alright. I got it. Nia, you are a lucky one. We have _the_ perfect solution for you. Follow us."

Even though she was slightly anxious because of Kotori's grin, Nia obeyed.

* * *

Kotori and then guided Nia to a small and dark cabin only equipped with a comfortable chair, a mouse and a large video screen. The room was only lightened by the screen that was displaying "INSERT DISK".

It looked like a console with no game loaded in.

"Huuh, so it's a game… that makes sense…" Nia pondered, caressing her chin.

A game was the most appropriated method to interact with Nia, after all.

She was into media of all types, especially books and games.

Back then, when Shidou was trying to make Nia fall in love, they had tried a similar method.

"Hehe, I wonder what it'll be. Be it an otome, a FPS or a RPG, I'm ready. I played so much games even Kagami Junichirou could not beat me!"

(Still, how is it supposed to solve the matter of my bond with Boy? Nia thought. How playing a game will make me understand my own feelings?...)

At this moment, the screen changed, some light music started to play and a title appeared, in a typical moe moe style, blue and pink font:

**[Love Me My Little Shidou ~ Girl's Side 2~]**

All of this was literally screaming the otome game, but…

"Eh?"

Nia gasped for a good reason: the title of the game indicated that the latter was the sequel of the game Ratatoskr had created before in order to make Nia fall in love with Shidou.

Truth to be told, the title itself was very explicit...

However, as the first [Love Me My Little Shidou ~ Girl's Side ~] was a typical otome, the second was a simple quiz game.

"Do you really love our little Shidou? ~ Find out through this interactive quiz!" Nia read aloud. "This, is weird, but… I guess, this could be interesting… "

Nia hesitated a bit but deep down, she was curious. She had not lied to Kotori and Reine. She truly didn't understand her own feelings.

That was the result of the years she spent considering other human beings as NPCs. She had lost her understandings of human emotions… of her own emotions.

"Fine… Let us begin the game!"

Nia stopped and immediately felt a chill running down her whole body.

"Kyaaa! I always wanted to say that! It's so cool! Wait, being that chuuni makes me look like Kaguyan or Kurumin!"

In Reine's bureau, Kotori and the chief analyzer were monitoring three things: the game progress, Nia's emotions readings and Nia herself, through multiple sophisticated cameras.

All of the data were displayed on several screens and would probably unreadable by lambda searchers.

"Ehh. Don't underestimate us from Ratatoskr" Kotori smiled, her legs crossed. "Do you think that, with the growing number of Spirits, we didn't consider the possibility of one of them doubting her feelings toward Shidou? That's why, this game has been developed by our most capable members in that field: Dimension Breaker Nakatsugawa and Maria!"

Nakatsugawa was a crewmember of Fraxinus. A proud otaku with over 100 waifu, he used to be a big shot in otaku community, recognized for both his works and reviews.

Like Nia, he was in love with 2D but could also do with seiyuu: thus, he was the best suited to create a game for her.

To be exact, since he loved equally 2D and 3D (only seiyuu), he was a bridge between the two dimensions.

He knew what it was to have feelings for both of them: that was why he could use this experience to create situations and questions that would bring oneself to realize if they loved only 2D… or if they had a chance of loving also 3D.

As Kotori was proudly boasting, a voice suddenly resonated in the room.

"Though Nakatsugawa seems to have mostly played eroge, I have to admit that his help was precious."

The mechanical yet, in a certain way, human voice, was Maria's. She was the super advanced AI of Fraxinus, the one in charge of propose choices to the crew.

She was not doing this randomly, however. Each of the choices she proposed was based on the current mood, the target's emotions and an impressive amount of data collected in every drama, anime, manga with the same situation.

"But I can guarantee the efficiency of this software" she added. "After all… this is a direct approach. We usually use different methods."

"Of course, I know. But I trust you both, Maria."

"Thank you."

"So…Let's begin our (war) date!"

"Choose one of the three options with the mouse…Huh, so that's how it works…" Nia mumbled as she read the instructions.

It was likely the same system Maria, the AI of Fraxinus, used to submit choices to Shidou each time he could raise the mood of a Spirit.

However, in this game, there was obviously no voting system, Nia was the one in charge.

A fraction of second later, the first question appeared.

_"Do you love Shidou?"_

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEH?!" Nia yelled. "Nononono, wait, that question is supposed to come in last position! That's just basic logic! Imouto-chan, your game is messed up!"

However, no answer came from the speakers in the room. Nia was shocked but it looked like there was no mistake in the development.

They really wanted her to answer this question.

She looked at the three choices proposed to her:

_"1) Yes"_

_"2) No"_

_"3) I don't know"_

Nia felt an urge to select "No", but…

(… it would be lying, right… and I should not lie, especially in a game. It always lead to a bad end! My instinct tells me so!)

Nia quickly made up her mind.

She had to follow the rules, if she wanted to learn more about herself.

Using the mouse, she selected the third option.

Because, that was true. She didn't know.

Kotori smirked when Nia made her choice, but let out a small sigh of relief.

The first question in this game was primordial.

If the Spirit interrogated would choose "Yes", the game would end immediately.

Since it was designed to make the Spirits who doubted their feelings towards Shidou fall in love with him, it was pointless to go further if they were certain that they loved him.

Nia could've lied and chose "Yes" to put an end to this, but she would've lied to herself by doing so.

The game would only continue if the Spirit chose "No" or "I don't know".

As the game analyzed the emotions and reactions of the Spirit, depending on the situation, it could be done in a few minutes or a few hours.

_"Understood. The following questions will now determine your feelings toward Shidou."_

Nia read the sentence displayed on the screen, and, having recovered from the first shock, motivated herself.

"Okay, bring it on, you super computer! But please, don't try to create a level 6 ESPer this time!"

As to answer with a perfect timing, the next question appeared.

_"If you were to see Origami dragging Shidou in a love hotel, what would you do?"_

"Eh… even though it's a game, this seems quite possible, no?"

Stunned by the question and its realism, Nia examined the options.

 _"1) Knock out Origami with an Iron Mountain Fist,_ _take possession of the reservation and make love with Shidou all night in a closed room"_

_"2) Follow them and spy on them to get R18 doujin premium raw material"_

_"3) Separate them and take Shidou home to check if he has not been drugged with an aphrodisiac"_

"The first one is… no, even _I_ couldn't do that… I didn't put any point in Strength, so knocking out Origami would be impossible…"

Nia played with her glasses.

"The two would be interesting from an author perspective but... I played too many visual novels to know how it ends if I let something like that happen to the main character. That's right; I have to protect him and his virginity!"

Nia, letting her otome spirit talking, selected the third option.

It was more of a choice by elimination, but still, she had to pick this one.

This triggered the third question.

_"Would you regain your powers in exchange of never seeing Shidou again?"_

_"1) Yes"_

_"2) No"_

_"3) Probably"_

This time, Nia did not hesitate for a second and instantly chose "No".

She didn't know if it was love, but there was something between them.

Otaku friendship? Pure, friendship? Affection?

No matter what it was, Nia knew she would never sever that bond. She also had the feeling that going on by Shidou's side would bring her things her powers would never.

In fact, this kind of question irritated her. It was an insult to her, to Shidou, to their bond, and to her gamer pride.

(Giving up the main route? Like, would Shirou retire from the Holy Grail War? Or would Red join Team Rocket? Don't screw with me!)

Kotori and Reine were carefully observing the scene and the readings.

"Kotori. It seems the last question did anger Nia" Reine said.

"Perfect."

On the computer screen, a warning appeared.

In fact, all the questions of the game proposed by Maria were taking into account the Spirits' mood and the possibilities of triggering them.

When Maria judged a question to be risky, she would send a warning to ask for confirmation before any action.

All it required was Reine and Kotori's approbation.

"…under these circumstances, are you sure we should send the next one?..."

"…Yes."

"In my opinion, this is too… brutal."

"I know. But if we give up now, then all this game is pointless. We have to conduct our date (war) to its end. And we have no time to waste."

"…Understood. Sorry."

Reine then proceeded to send the question.

Nia's lips trembled when she read the fourth question.

"…aaah."

She exhaled and closed her eyes, trying to calm down her heartbeat.

_"Did you open your heart to Shidou because you believed in him and had affection for him, or did you do it just to be saved from death?"_

That question hit her hard.

Because of DEM, Nia almost lost her life but was saved by Shidou at that time.

It was only because he managed to seal her power and let reiryoku flow in her, that she could be saved.

Since then, everyone, including her, believed she had opened her heart to Shidou.

But that question unraveled the reason of her uneasiness.

She was not in conflict with herself because she did not know if she loved Shidou or not.

No, in truth, deep inside of her, she felt guilty and doubtful, about her own behavior.

Nia wanted to believe that she appreciated Shidou, who looked like a manga main character. That she relied on him. That she had affection for him.

Even if it was not love, these were genuine feelings… or so she thought.

But… what if, in truth, she was forcing herself to like him to maintain their bond?

What if, she had done that only to be saved, and was keeping this lie on only to live as a normal person, surrounded with friends?

What if she had persuaded herself to do that to enjoy happiness?

Nia had, for a long time, been alone because of her Angel, Rasiel that could let her know about every person life.

Everyone had secrets. That was nothing new: even the most honest person had things they wouldn't want to reveal.

Knowing about the hidden faces of everyone she knew disgusted Nia and brought her loneliness.

But right now, she was living a happy life.

She could joke and spend time with her friends.

She could draw her manga in peace, battling with deadlines.

She could get Shidou to cook for her when she was hungry and too lazy to buy food.

She could laugh, she could cry, she could smile.

She could enjoy life.

All of this thanks to one person: Shidou.

To imagine she was faking her affection toward her savior was horrifying to Nia.

What if all of it was an untruth?

A façade, to break off her solitude?

Nia re-opened her eyes and noticed that, this time, there were only two choices on the screen:

_"1) I did it because I trusted him"_

_"2) I did it for my own sake"_

(I always called humans liars… I cut myself off from the real world to escape these lies… But in the end, the true, biggest liar… is me, right?)

Disgusted by her own self, Nia was nauseous.

She wasn't sure that she had done this on purpose, but the only thought of this…

However.

Memories flowed through her mind within an instant.

All the moments she had spent with Shidou.

Shidou.

Shidou's easily triggered personality.

Shidou's wry smile.

Shidou's kindness.

Shidou's will to save people from solitude.

Shidou's will to…save her, at _that_ moment.

Shidou, as cool as a manga character, incarnating the hero depicted in the manga he had created with the other Spirits.

Shidou, who could know whether Nia was fine or not.

Nia's heart was beating faster and louder, resonating inside of her.

Only thinking about Shidou was enough to put her in that state.

Nia was feeling hot. She had a knot in her belly. And above all, she was hurting.

And precisely because of that pain, she knew it her feelings were not false.

(No. I can't believe… I can't believe this feeling in my chest is an untruth. I can't believe these emotions are lies…)

Using the mouse, she chose the first answer.

Nia felt like she just signed an invisible contract.

Immediately, a line appeared on the screen in a moe font.

_"The results will be calculated ~"_

Little did Nia know that the software and its manager, Maria, calculated the results based on the answers and Nia's own emotions readings.

Seconds later, a loud fanfare resonated and a pink font announced the results with confetti explosions.

**"PROBABLY IN LOVE WITH SHIDOU~~  
CONGRATULATIONS!~ ~"**

Nia stared at the screen silently.

Strangely, she didn't feel relieved.

Why was that?

"..So… I probably… love Boy?..." she whispered.

"Huuuuuuuu…" Kotori stretched her body while exhaling. "Looks like I was right on the mark. But Nia sure is a tough one…"

Kotori was satisfied with the result.

Of course, it was obvious from the start that Nia had a liking for Shidou, but it was good to confirm it.

It would also bring a new concurrent and its share of issues, yet…

"The margin of error is 0,2%" Maria's voice announced. "In my opinion, it is almost certain Nia is in love with Shidou, but she does not want to admit it for some reason. Her age may be the cause, though."

"Yes… but at least, this problem is solved. Now, the perturbation between her and Shidou should be cleared, since she has realized her feelings" Kotori nonchalantly replied, waving her Chupa-Chups.

At that very moment, an alarm sound resounded.

"Kotori."

Reine spoke up.

"What is going on again, Reine?!"

"…Nia's mood… is dropping dangerously, all of sudden."

"What ?! How?!"


	3. Status: Charmed

When Nia read the conclusion given by the game, she knew, deep inside her, that it was the truth.

She was probably…no, surely in love with Shidou.

This warm feeling flowing through her body, her heart beating fast each time she thought about Shidou, the fact that she wanted to be with him more and more… what was it, if not love?

Despite all her efforts, Nia had fallen for someone who was not 2D.

She was the first one to be surprised by this revelation.

Yet, when she realized that, she did not feel any happiness or relief.

These things that often happened in mangas, games, light novels and animes did not apply to her.

Nia only felt sorrow and fear.

Her heart froze.

"Reine! What is happening?! Why is Nia's mood dropping like that?!" Kotori asked.

"…maybe… Nia's feelings are even more complicated than what we thought…" Reine answered, checking the readings on her screens.

"But why did it turn like this?... She was supposed to feel happy and flustered like a young maiden!" Kotori insisted, waving her Chupa-Chups furiously.

"…Yes."

The reason behind Nia's sudden depression was that she was finally understanding herself.

Or to be exact, she understood why she unconsciously hid, rejected her genuine feelings.

(Aaah…so that is why I ran away…)

Nia was a Spirit.

A supernatural being, blessed with a powerful Angel.

But over everything, she was immune against aging. Her current appearance was proof of that, and it was not limited to her appearance.

People over thirty-five often complain that their body was not as light as before, or that a pain suddenly appeared somewhere one morning.

Most of the time, it was not an illness, just aging. Despite being over forty, Nia felt nothing like that: she truly felt like her organism was frozen at the age of twenty.

Even if she didn't know if she was truly immortal, it was at least certain that Nia would live much longer than a normal human.

A normal human like… Shidou.

Yes. That was the conclusion Nia had reached when she had realized her feelings toward Shidou.

No matter what was destined to happen between them, no matter the nature of their relationship.

The harsh, cold truth was that Shidou would die long before Nia… leaving her alone.

Even if he were to love Nia and to choose her, he would eventually leave her in solitude one day or another.

Not only that. While Shidou would age normally, Nia would remain the same, physically and mentally.

Could she bear that? Could Shidou bear that?...

That was why Nia had tried to ignore her feelings. She did not want to taste happiness and be deprived of it. She did not want to suffer forever.

In addition, there was the risk of being rejected, as Natsumi had said.

These were her two biggest fears.

(Yes… why would Boy like me, in the first place?)

Nia's thoughts became darker and darker as she started to compare herself to the other Spirits that obviously loved Shidou.

Nia was old, compared to the others. She didn't have any asset to charm Shidou.

Her body itself was nothing extraordinary or attractive, unlike Tohka or Miku.

She did not have Kaguya or Yoshino's innocence, Origami or Yuzuru's perseverance, Mukuro, Kotori or Natsumi's natural charm.

(I'm only joking and jesting to hide my feelings.)

Nia's chest was hurting.

She didn't want to suffer but she couldn't escape her feelings, her doubts, her fears.

(Still… I can't lie to myself. I love Boy, but I'm afraid that he wouldn't love me. At the same time, I don't want to confess my feelings because even if he were to accept them, he would die before me and I'm too coward to accept that.)

Tears of anger, sadness and guilt pearled in her eyes.

When was the last time she had experienced this distress?...

(My heart…what is it to do?... Nee, Boy _…_ )

Nia's thoughts sank and sank.

(If it hurts so much… maybe, maybe I should never have met Boy…)

Suddenly, the door opened and the light of the corridor blinded Nia.

Kotori, panting, was standing there, Reine standing behind her.

"Nia! What's happening?!"

Nia only then noticed the tears on her cheeks.

She wiped them off and weakly smiled while standing up.

"… it hurts…" she whispered, much to Kotori's anxiety.

"What is it, Nia? Why… just what happened?!"

To Kotori's eyes, Nia was not the same person who had entered the room earlier. She looked like a ghost. A blank void, as empty as could be.

"I always thought love was cool, moe, cute… In all the manga and light novels I read, in all the games I played, it seemed such a beautiful thing..." Nia said.

She clenched her fist.

"So…why does it hurt so much to love someone?!"

Kotori closed her eyes, feeling her heart tightening.

She knew too well that feeling of loving someone with little chances of being loved in return.

After all, to her, Shidou was…

Kotori rejected her thoughts and glanced at Nia. She had to act as a commander. She then talked with a serious yet soft voice.

"…it hurts because it is real. Your love is real, and as a normal person, you are afraid to lose that love."

Nia laughed bitterly.

"Hehe…so right now, my status is "Charmed". Tell me, imouto-chan, is there a potion or a quest to cure me?..."

Kotori had a wry smile.

(If only…)

"Not really, no… You have to accept your feelings first. Once you do, it hurts… less. And you have to cherish them. I… don't know if Shidou loves you the same way, but one thing is certain… he wants you to be happy."

"…yes, that would be Boy for you."

Nia nodded and sighed.

"If that's all, imouto-chan, I'll go home. I… need to calm down for a bit…"

"Sure. The teleporter is ready."

Nia slowly walked toward the teleporter room, her head full of confused thoughts.

She was trying to set her thoughts in orders, yet, they kept spinning and flowing.

(I was persuaded that I could only love 2D. And now… here I am, in love with a high school student thirty years younger than me.)

Usually, in the movies or the newspapers, it was often disgusting old men who were peeping at younger girls.

They were either pedophiles or lolicon, and condemned by the law.

But in that case, it was the opposite.

Nia was the "criminal", as Shidou had not even reached majority.

"I'm glad he's a high schooler, though… I would have been flagged as a shotacon, if he was younger… gosh…"

She laughed aloud.

(I'm sorry, Tokiya. Even though you're my waifu, I betrayed you…)

Nia apologized to her first love, the lonely hero of [CHRONICLE].

But in a certain extent, Nia was relieved. Kotori was right.

Accepting her feelings was making things a bit easier. She had not completely mastered this skill but needed to… it was now basically a prerequisite to progress.

(Well, at least, all of this could serve me, were I to write a shoujo manga…)

* * *

In Fraxinus' main control room, Kotori let herself fall in her chair.

"Talk about a day…" she groaned.

The other crewmembers were not in the room, let alone Kannazuki who was still doing his squats and sweating profusely, a look of pure bliss on his face.

Kotori wanted to shut him up as his breathing was hard and loud but considered it would only make him happier.

However, despite the appearances, she was relieved. She inadvertently played with a new Chupa-Chups.

(I am glad we managed to solve this, at least…)

Kotori was not especially worried about Nia being in love with Shidou.

After all, the majority of the Spirits were too, and despite that, they managed to live together and like each other.

Shidou was a not some kind of gigolo, they were very lucky on this point. She shuddered when she reminded how he was right before the Ituska Disaster kicked in: he was literally hunting every woman he found…

That being said, the entrance of a potential new rival was a little bit disturbing.

(Nia, hun. She's old but the fact she shares the same tastes as Shidou can't be ignored…)

Indeed, Nia and Shidou had both an otaku side and thus a link was naturally born between them.

The fact that Nia knew about Shidou chuuni period also brought them closer.

Of course, Kotori still held more secrets about him (although she didn't realize it didn't make her different from a stalker).

"Guhh. I should not mind it. After all, Onii-chan is mine and–"

"Commander! I feel like I'm going to faint! Can you please give me some motivation?!" Kannazuki suddenly yelled.

His uniform was a mess, as well as his hair, both wet with sweat. His movements were slower than before, yet carried all his will.

It was truly impressive in a way but also disgusting and creepy.

Kotori clenched her teeth and threw her Chupa-Chups stick with a tremendous power, in a technique that reminded the Gae Bolg of a certain Lancer.

The stick found its way in Kannazuki's right eye.

"Gyaaah! ~ Thank you very muuuuuch!" he screamed, holding his eye but not stopping his squats.

"Tch. I'll discipline you later."

"That would be my utmost pleasure!"

Kotori was taking out a new Chupa-Chups when Reine entered the room –not paying Kannazuki a single glance–.

"Kotori. You should see this."

Reine had brought her tablet with her.

"I told you earlier that I would send the Chupa-Chups invoice directly to the main branch" Kotori sighed.

"… this is not about that. Look at Shin's readings."

Kotori did so and felt her jaw dislocating.

Her reaction was only natural.

"…what does it mean, Reine? Why is Shidou's and Nia's pass still perturbed? I thought it was supposed to get better!"

On the screen, the reiryoku of Nia's colour was still irregular compared to the other Spirits' waves.

"It's true that Nia herself admitted her feelings but it shall take some time for her to completely stabilize. However, you're right, there should have been a slight improvement. I analyzed the reiha signatures again… and I think there is an issue on Shin's side as well."

Kotori frowned at Reine's hypothesis.

"Shidou? You mean… Shidou may not like Nia anymore? Or…"

"...No. Maybe… Shin's relation with Nia is not as deep as the other Spirits because he does not get to see her as much. Maybe their bond just needs…a little help? It seems highly probable."

"Huh… I see. After all, relationships are the same in reality or in games. If you don't preserve them, they don't last" Kotori said, thoughtful.

(Still, both of them… they really like to scare us…)

She then snapped her fingers.

"But this is truly unacceptable. Call all the crewmembers right now. We need to take action immediately. Our main objective is for Nia and Shidou to deepen their relation!"

Kotori stood up.

"For Shidou's and Nia's sake…let begin our (war) date!"

* * *

The same evening, at the Itsuka household.

Because of cram school, Shidou had just came back home and still had work to do.

He was now supposed to have a week of break, but in truth, this week was for the students to study hard for the upcoming school exams.

Shidou was bound to attend cram school for the rest of the week, mostly on the afternoon, working even more than usual. It would have bothered him, if he was not too tired to think about it.

He had bags under the eyes, consequences of the hours he had spent to study late last night.

Shidou was tired because of his rhythm but not only. Something else was bothering him deep inside, causing his chest to slightly hurt every day.

Thus, he was in a way trying to bury these feelings by focusing on his studies: it was good to keep his mind busy.

All the lights of the house were turned off. None of the Spirits was present, due to the late hour. Kotori wasn't here either but she was probably working aboard Fraxinus.

It was not unusual for her to be away, from time to time. In these moments, the house felt kind of lonely.

Shidou heavily sighed and get rid of his uniform and bag at the entrance as usual, then took off his shoes.

He then went in the kitchen living room and opened the fridge. Usually, he would cook for the other Spirits and for himself when he had the time.

Shidou loved to cook in a certain way. It was a pleasant, relaxing task: he could empty his mind from his worries and create delicious dishes that would make other people happy –Tohka in particular–.

But this evening, Shidou did not have the faith to do so. He only wanted to sustain himself and get the energy he needed to work for a few more hours.

However, inside the fridge was a surprise… or rather, something clearly standing out.

An entire fried chicken.

From the look of it, Shidou guessed it had been immersed in boiling oil, without further preparation or seasoning.

The dish –Shidou did not know if it deserved that title though– was clumsily presented on a plate.

It was the literal definition of fried chicken, yet, no one would call it this.

That unexpected sight made him smile nonetheless.

"… I think I know who prepared this…"

The image of a clumsy girl full of goodwill came to his mind.

He felt sorry for not eating it despite all the troubles Tohka surely went through to prepare it, but in his state, his stomach would not endure it.

Shidou instead grabbed an energy drink with some onigiris he had made the day before, and, still smirking, went to his bedroom.

(I guess I'll eat chicken tomorrow…I'll have to arrange it a bit though. Maybe some chicken broil?...)

With that idea in mind, he mustered up his courage and, sitting at his desk, opened his textbooks.

A long night was waiting for him.

* * *

Shidou was having a dream.

A blurred dream that would leave no trace of his existence, ephemeral as could be.

He was standing, looking at a boy who was and was not himself, himself looking at a boy who was and was not himself.

Because, the two boys were looking at each other.

But the other boy was like him… the same appearance, the same _soul_. And yet, it was not him.

Shidou could not move. He even doubted he really existed there, drowned with strange sensations.

He could see, yet, his mind doubted what he was seeing, it was the same for the sounds he heard.

The other "Shidou" started to talk with a dizzy voice.

_"I… Where?..._ _White…black… where am I?..."_

He then looked at Shidou without seeing him.

_"Mio…where?..."_

* * *

"–dou! Shidou!"

Someone, having grabbed Shidou's shoulders, was vigorously shaking him.

"Mmmh?..."

Shidou suddenly woke up.

Immediately, he felt confused. His entire body was painful, stiff, his head and eyelids heavy.

"Shidou! Are you okay?!"

A familiar voice called him again as the shaking stopped.

Shidou understood that he probably fell asleep on his desk while working last night.

As panic of being late at school took over him, he suddenly remembered that he had not to attend classes this morning. Cram school would start later, in the afternoon.

Still…

"Guuh…"

Shidou lifted his head and look at the person that was trying to wake him up.

Dark purple hair tied with a ribbon, a slender yet curved body, beautiful eyes and a worried face.

Tohka was looking at Shidou, still holding his shoulders.

"Shidou! What happened? Did someone attack you?!"

"Uunn, Tohka… sorry. I just fell asleep…" Shidou answered with a tired smile. "I'm fine…"

"Mmuu…you sure, Shidou?" Tohka asked, worried. "You don't look well… your face, is kinda pale…"

"Ah, yeah… that's because I worked a lot. But I'm fine now. Look!"

Shidou put up a brave smile and get up, trying to reassure Tohka.

Noticing that his efforts were not convincing, he changed the subject.

"A-anyway! I'll prepare breakfast, okay?"

"Umu, good idea, Shidou!" Tohka nodded, her eyes suddenly sparkling.

Baiting Tohka only required food and Shidou was feeling slightly guilty for that.

"I'll show you how to cook karaage, okay?"

"Karaage? But I know how to, Shidou! I prepared some yesterday for you!"

"That, errmm, you musn't fry the entire chicken, Tohka…"

"But this is fried chicken, right?"

"Yes… but that's different… anyway, I'll show you. Okay?"

"Umu!"

Tohka cheerfully climbed down the stairs, an air of pure happiness on her face.

Shidou followed her while smiling at her innocence and contagious mood.

He had no memories of his dream of the last night…

Shidou first intended to prepare karaage for everyone in the Itsuka household, but Tohka, as enthusiastic as always, ate all the ones he prepared, just "to taste".

"I'm sorry, Shidou! There is some kind of spell working here! As soon as I take one, it… what! It disappeared!"

"Tohka, you just ate it without realizing it…"

"Mu?!"

Shidou kindly laughed and patted the teary-eye –but so cute – Tohka.

"It's alright. I'll just prepare something else."

Shidou then cooked several leftovers of the previous meals, a special portion for each Spirit living near the Itsuka household.

He didn't know if all of them would come, but he wanted to make sure they had something to eat.

However, one by one, the Spirits knocked at the door.

"Kakaka! Rejoice, mortals! The hurricane children are here! Pray that your offering meets my expectations or feel my divine wrath!"

"Translation. Kaguya hopes that Shidou's food will be as delicious as usual so she can compliment him."

"Wh–Yuzuruuu!"

The Yamai sisters were the first to entered, with Kaguya's usual chuuni entrance and Yuzuru acting as a grown up sister.

"H-hello, Shidou-san…"

"Hey… I didn't really want to pass by because I know my mere presence ruins the mood but Yoshino insisted, even if she's too kind and knows one day I'll be a hindrance to her…"

Yoshino and Natsumi – as negative and reluctant as ever – followed them.

"Nushi-sama, dost thou need Muku's assistance?"

Mukuro was the last one to enter the Itsuka household and immediately looked for a way to be with Shidou.

The only absent ones were Miku, who was on a concert tour, Nia, who was surely working and for an unknown reason, Kotori.

It appeared that Origami had infiltrated the house at dawn (Tohka had surprised her searching the family albums for shota Shidou photos).

With the Spirits' help, the table was soon dressed and the food ready. Due to the growing number of Spirits however, Kotori had ordered a new, larger and longer table for their living room to be installed.

The scene of the Spirits surrounding Shidou while eating was something to picture.

Tohka was literally swallowing her plate (like someone with long dark hair and red eyes), Natsumi was eating in the corner, Kaguya and Yuzuru were engaged in a "who eats the faster" competition, and on Shidou's side…

On Shidou's side, Mukuro was trying to feed Shidou who himself was feeding Yoshino –handicapped because of her puppet and friend Yoshinon on her hand– while Origami was trying to steal that food that in her own words was "impregnated with Shidou's particules".

Amidst that cheerful chaos, Shidou could not keep himself from wondering where Kotori was.

It was not in her habit to miss one of these meals, as she could relax herself and behave like a little sister (basically spamming Shidou with "Onii-chan!") and not like a commander.

(Or perhaps she is too busy with Ratatoskr… I almost forget that we're supposed to be at war with DEM…)

Shidou had a bitter smile.

However at the same time, his cellphone rang.

Shidou interrupted his task, his fork still mid-air, Origami and Yoshino mouth wide open.

"Yes?" Shidou answered the call.

"Shidou."

Kotori's voice echoed in his ear.

"Ah, Kotori, where are you? I prepared food for you too, but…"

"Thanks, Onii-chan~… I mean, hum, thank you, Shidou. But I didn't call to tell you I couldn't come to the party… Isolate yourself from the other Spirits for a few moments. It'd be better if none were to hear what I'll tell you."

"A-re?... alright."

Shidou excused himself and left the table (though Origami, thinking that he was going to the toilets, tried to stalk him) to take refuge in his bedroom.

"So, Kotori, what is it?"

"Shidou, when was the last time you went to the Komiket?"

Shidou suddenly shivered.

Komiket.

That name alone brought back memories of his chuuni period.

The Komiket was a four days event held in Tenguu City and resembled the Comico Colosseum (the convention where Shidou and Nia had a competition about who would sell out their doujins).

However, if the Comico only gathered doujins artists –amateurs or not–, the Komiket was an assembly reserved to professional mangakas, who would propose original works derived from their series, as well as anime and game producers who would make announcements and sell exclusive merch.

In definitive, it was not a crappy convention organized by people who just wanted to make money on so-called otakus.

It was an event organized by pro and fans for fans who shared the same passion about the 2D world, during the week where most of the students were free.

To tell the truth, these students were supposed to attend cram school but most of them skipped it to go to the Komiket.

Between studies and such an event, one would not hesitate twice.

Shidou had attended several Komikets in the past, cosplaying and getting the merch he desired as a chuuni otaku, but he had forced himself to forget that dark past.

"…long ago…" Shidou eventually replied, on the edge.

He knew that Kotori mentioning this event did not mean anything good.

"I'd like you to accompany me there, Onii-chan!"

Kotori's sudden childish behavior took him aback.

"Huh…Kotori?... What did you…"

"I said: I'd love to have you accompanying me at the Komiket, Onii-chan!"

"Yes, but…"

"See you tomorrow at the station, Onii-chan!"

Kotori hung up the phone, leaving Shidou completely dumbfounded.

This sudden invitation inspired him suspicion and fear.

"…since when does Kotori love anime and manga?..."

Knowing perfectly that he had no chances to discuss with his sister, Shidou quickly addressed a mail to his cram school teacher to inform him that he was sick and could not attend classes the next day.

He then returned to the living room, unable to chase away the chills he felt.


	4. Komiket

At 6am the next morning, Shidou, humming a song, was preparing his gear for the incoming batte.

Yes.

The Komiket was not a simple event.

It was a war, a battlefield with strict rules but merciless foes. Sweat, tears, blood were spilled every edition: the stakes were too important for one to come out clean of it.

When limited goodies and books were at stakes, every determined otaku could kill… legally, at least.

Surprisingly, if people fought fiercely inside the Komiket area, there were almost zero conflict outside.

One could think that some people could be robbed of their goods outside, yet it didn't happen: all of the participants had their pride after all.

Maybe, participating in several Komikets had prepared Shidou to his dates with the Spirit ; after all, they were wars too…

Shidou couldn't help but laugh when this thought crossed his mind.

No wonder he had survived all along: surviving a Komiket was a feat in itself.

These were good memories, although mixed with his dark past…

Shidou shook his his head and double checked his stuff.

"So… water bottles, military rations, painkillers, two charged phones, an emergency battery, a Komiket plan, two towels. All of this inside a small suitcase, the maximum size authorized by the Komiket rules. I don't think I forgot anything…"

The Komiket opened at 7:30am to the public. The day before, Shidou had received a message from Kotori indicating that she would wait for him at 7am at the train station.

They would arrive in time for the grand opening, though it was certain there would a huge mass of people ahead of them (even though camping in front of the Tenguu Stadium was not authorized, there were people determined enough to come at dawn).

"Yosh! Time to go!"

Shidou put on a casual outfit along with a parka, as winter was coming, then exited the Itsuka household.

Kotori's sudden invitation was worrying, but at the same time, Shidou felt nostalgic.

He was not the same passionate as before but mangas, anime and light novels still held a place in his heart and he still buying the Jump.

"I hope they will announce the next volume of Overlord or OreShura…" Shidou whispered to himself.

Shidou arrived at the train station just on time. Since it was a worked day, the station was quite crowded with people at that hour.

From what he understood, the train was late, which was unusual especially on a Komiket day.

On top of that, half of the people here were Komiket attendants.

They could be spotted thanks to their gear and appearance, most of them being otakus with the cliché messy hair and glasses; some of them were carrying anime merch or cosplaying anime characters, even virtual youtubers and VOCALOIDs.

Shidou found his way near the screen that displayed the next trains to arrive.

(Where is Kotori? She could've guessed that it would be difficult to meet here…wait, did she even come back yesterday's night? I didn't see her at all…)

Shidou took off his phone out of his pocket and was about to call her when his eyes met with someone he knew.

(Wait, that's…)

"Nia?!"

"Boy?!"

Chance or not, Shidou just found himself in front of Nia, who was equipped like him to attend the Komiket.

"Why are you here?!" Shidou yelled.

"No, why are _you_ here?!" Nia replied on the same tone.

Strange fact, Nia looked flustered; she would usually immediately tease Shidou, but at this moment, she looked like a timid maiden.

Shidou was as troubled as her.

He had the feeling he had been set up; it was too much of a coincidence.

(Going with Nia at the Komiket… there is only one person who would think of that!)

As soon as this thought crossed his mind, Shidou's worry grew tenfold.

All of sudden, his phone ringed.

Mechanically, Shidou answered, his eyes still fixated on Nia –who was making a strange face as if she had swallowed a lemon–.

"Yes?

"Shidou? Did you meet with Nia as planned?

"What do you mean, as planned?! No, I knew it was you! What is going on, Kotori?!"

"Huh? Don't shout like that. No matter how hard you try, you won't be able to turn into a Super Sayan."

"That's not what I was trying to do!" Shidou yelled, instantly attracting the attention of several people around him.

"If you say so. That aside, you have a date to attend… or should I say, a war."

"You lied to me! You told me you wanted your Onii-chan to accompany you!" Shidou responded aloud.

He immediately regretted his words as he noticed disgusted glares from several persons.

"He calls himself Onii-chan…"

"Disgusting…"

"I'm sure he's a siscon…"

"His favorite tag is surely incest…"

Shidou wanted to cry, confronted with such animosity. However, he gulped and listened to Kotori.

"Well, let's say I gave my place to Nia. Which means you owe me one by the way."

"How?!"

Shidou was about to argue again when Kotori's tone became colder than the Mt Fuji's summit.

"If you don't go, your 3rd secret journal will be distributed to the whole city, and photos of you cosplaying the Dark Flame Master* will be displayed on Raizen Highschool main gate."

"Okayyyy! I'll go! I'll do iiiit!" Shidou screamed.

"Thanks, Onii-chan! We'll stay in contact with you as always, don't forget your earbud!"

Shidou, mortified, put back his phone into his pocket and sighed deeply.

"Nee, Boy…"

Shidou turned back and had the surprise to find a blushing Nia, averting her gaze.

"…is going out with me such a bother to you?..."

Her reaction, so different from her usual self –and so cute at the same time– took Shidou aback.

"Ermmm, no, that's not…"

"No, that's okay, why would Boy go out with such a disgusting otaku like me…"

"Wait, why do you sound like Natsumi here?!"

Shidou felt cold sweat dripping on his back as well as the hostility from males around him.

Nia was not what one could call a "disgusting otaku".

She had not busty curves, but her unusual hair color, her slender silhouette and beautiful face decorated with red glasses made her look like an intellectual beauty.

Plus, she herself called her an otaku, and every male otaku dreamt of a girl sharing the same passion.

Seeing Shidou apparently rejecting this kind of girl made them jealous and full of hatred.

"Die, die die…"

"Another riajuu who comes here…"

"He dares to reject such a goddess…"

"Google… How to murder someone in public without being arrested…search…"

Shidou winced.

"Okay, okay, I got it! Nia, it's fine by me! Let's go to the Komiket together!"

"For real?"

"Yes!"

At the same time, the train finally arrived.

It was later revealed that Ratatoskr had retarded the train to allow Nia and Shidou to reunite.

* * *

The train was cramped and silent.

Shidou's back was pressed against Nia's chest. Even though he didn't feel anything (he couldn't tell her that), it was quite embarrassing.

He was feeling awkward from this and the fact that none of them talked.

* * *

Inside Fraxinus' main control room, Kotori, Reine and the crewmembers were monitoring the scene thanks to a small camera placed in the wagon.

Ratatoskr had a large surveillance net, even though it basically violated every law regarding privacy.

"Maria." Kotori called.

"Yes?"

"We can't have them spending the entire trip without doing anything. Scan their mood and propose something Shidou could say to Nia to ease her."

"Roger that. Analyzing the wavelengths."

A few seconds later, three choices appeared on the screen of each crewmember.

**1) Ask Nia if she has plans for the Komiket**

**2) Turn back and launch a surprise kiss attack**

**3) Take advantage of the situation to grope her**

"The third one is clearly a crime!" Kotori pointed out. "All members, vote! And if anyone dares to choose the third…"

The results displayed an instant later.

"As expected, the first is the one with most of the votes. And… I think I guess who voted the third option."

Kotori glared at her second in command.

"Kannazuki."

"As expected of the Commander!"

"Do you know of Sisyphus's boulder?"**

"No?"

"Well, it's an occasion then."

Kotori called two massive guards.

"Take him at Tenguu City's park higher hill. Find him a boulder, make him roll up to the top and then, have him do it again and again. If he dares to faint, wake him up with a bucket of iced water."

"Yes!"

The two gorillas dragged Kannazuki away.

"Thank youuu, Commandeee—"

The door shut, leaving only silence in the control room.

What worried the most the crewmembers was that they were now used to this kind of commotion.

Kotori coughed then resumed her posture.

"Shidou. Choose the first option."

* * *

"Kotori?" Shidou whispered. "Did I hear something like a long, happy scream right now?..."

"Not at all. Just do as I told you."

"Yes?..."

Behind him, Nia was gazing away, doing her best to ignore Shidou's presence.

Shidou turned back and gave her a smile.

"Hemm, Nia…"

"Hm? Yes, Boy?"

"Do you have per chance some plan for the Komiket? Like… a list of the books you want to buy?"

Nia suddenly snorted.

"Huuuh?! Who do you take me for, Boy?! Are you trying to insult my otaku's soul?! Of course I have planned my entire day! My first, second, and third list of most wanted dedicated books and blurays! My escape routes and even my testament were I to die today! I have memorized the booths emplacements of all the halls! Don't underestimate me!"

Nia's furious speech attracted the attention of all the people around them.

Shidou, overwhelmed by her passion, could only smile with embarrassment and keep his mouth shut.

Even though, he heard murmurs around him.

"…going to the Komiket with an older girl…and she's cute…"

"That bastard… having such a wonderful girlfriend…"

"Curse you…"

In order not to be scared to death by the threatening whispering around him, Shidou gave Nia his full attention.

And, to his own –as well as Ratatoskr crewmembers– surprise, he found himself all flared up, contaminated by Nia's burning passion.

No, to be precise, his old chuuni otaku heart had awoken thanks to Nia love for 2D.

When he read her list, he noticed that most of the titles she wanted were ones he himself liked before or dropped. Yet, his love for them was intact.

(Aaah, that's true… one could never forger these feelings. Even if it's 2D… I once swore an oath of allegiance to them. I may have forgotten the words of my oath, but I didn't forget the oath itself…)

Shidou seemed to awaken himself, like he just had a revelation.

Maybe… Maybe he had lost his faith before but had found it again.

Because of that, when they arrived at Tenguu Square –the convention center where the Comico Colosseum had been held–, Nia and Shidou attracted attention.

Everyone around them stopped talking. Some people even asked themselves if this was the effect of an enemy's Stand.

Because.

Nia and Shidou were literally emitting an aura. A light mist was enveloping them, and the sun shafts reflected it, bathing them in a halo similar to ki in mangas.

An aura that showed their iron will, their determination to fight and how deep their passion was.

Even insensitive people –mere humans– could feel it and when they would gaze at the unusual couple, they would instinctively lightly bow their head, showing their respect. What else could they do?

Thanks to that, they didn't wait for long in the queue: the staff members, shocked by their confidence, confounded them with special guests and gave them priority over the common attendants.

While walking onwards, Nia and Shidou discussed strategy.

They thought of doing the Komiket together at first but quickly changed their mind.

In a convention such as the Komiket, the point was not about observing the booths or having fun.

The entire point was to get the books, blurays and goodies you were seeking for before they would run out of stock.

Nothing else mattered.

Thus, they combined the list of the goods they wanted, and thanks to Nia's preparations, traced two itineraries to get everything they wanted.

Of course, their mutual routes included mixed things: as for example Shidou would not visit only booths that interested him but booths were Nia needed stuff as well.

It was not about what they each wanted: the ultimate goal was optimization to get the best of each route, so of course they would help each other like that.

Just before separating, they looked at each other in the eyes, and hit their fists together while shouting aloud the otaku's Golden Rules.

"ONE TO STORE, ONE TO LOOK AT AND ONE TO SPREAD THE GOSPEL!"***

Their war cry echoed, provoking a commotion and then an ovation from of all of their fellow otaku.

Overflowing with fighting spirit and confidence, Nia and Shidou split up and plunged into the Komiket's battlefield.

And just like that, their (separate) date (war) began.

* * *

"What the hell are they doing?! They're supposed to be on a date and yet they split up?!" Kotori exclaimed, furiously hitting her armrest with her fist.

Much to her dismay, Shidou had taken off his earbud, solely concentrated on his current task.

Thanks to mini Yggfolium cameras, Kotori and the rest of the crew were able to follow Nia and Shidou's movements.

But that was all they could do.

Fraxinus crew was supposed to provide support to Shidou on his date… only if he was with a girl. Without a girl, it was not even a date.

On their seats, "Dimension Breaker" Nakatsugawa and "Boss" Mikimoto sighed in unison.

"Commander Itsuka… you obviously know nothing about events like the Komiket" Nakatsugawa said in a religious tone. "I personally commend Shidou's choice and praise his passion, as well as Nia's. If there was a choice to do here, it surely was the good one!"

On his seat, Mikimoto vigorously nodded.

"Agreed! Shidou's calculations are perfect. I mean, you can date your girlfriend every day if you want. But the Komiket is not open every day. Between a time-limited event and the daily quests, which one would you spend your stamina on? That's obvious!"

"Reine, remind me to cut these otaku's salary."

"Yes."

"Why?!"

"Kotori" Reine added, ignoring her coworkers pleas. "The Spirits are worried about Shin's disappearance. What should I tell them?"

Kotori sighed and changed her position in her commander seat.

"Let them come here so they can see that Shidou is fine."

"Are you sure? Seeing Shidou on a date alone with Nia could provoke some issues…"

"I'll deal with that."

"Roger."

* * *

Meanwhile, inside Tenguu Square, Komiket.

A crowd, no, an ocean of people was on the move.

All the lines and queues were perfect, no one was running, but still, the battle was raging, the cashiers' movements were blurred and many voices of ladies were heard, trying to appeal and attract more buyers.

It was common for sellers to hire cosplayers of their characters to sell more: it was an old tactic but still effective…

All the booths had set up a limit: one customer could on buy up to three copies of a book or a bluray.

This rule allowed them to respect the otaku golden rules and to cancel the risk of having someone creating a stock to sell it on the black market.

Time limited editions could sell for a tidy sum, after all.

"Here is your change! Thank you very much!"

"Thank you!"

Shidou thanked the booth seller, put his three copies in his suitcase and immediately headed to his next objective.

Time was the essence. Each minute spent on a booth counted.

Also, walking in a convention was not an easy feat. If you followed the masses, you'd advance at a snail pace.

No, one had to constantly analyze the crowd movements, anticipate the others paces, avoid the obstacles and determine in a fraction of seconds the best path.

Shidou, on his side, considered the whole thing like an arcade game, like the ones where you had to avoid enemies coming at you.

With his keen vision and senses, Shidou kept an accurate control on his movements and saw every movement in a 10m radius around him, allowing him to move with perfect ease while monitoring several escape routes.

Even in a crowd, Shidou could move easily through: one who would look at him from afar would think he was a ninja.

It was one of his secret otaku skills, that one in a million could develop.

Ghost Walker (Perfect Contrast).

Of course, the name was 100% Shidou © (he just put together words he found cool).

Nia and him had prepared their routes by priority; the goods that were not at risk were the last ones to be bought.

However, it was only probabilities and calculations; the reality was different.

Shidou almost missed several books because of that.

Almost, because when the situations were dire, he used the powers of the Angels he had access to.

As for example, when a seller could only give him two books (as he ran out of stock), Shidou used Gabriel to persuade someone to give him the third copy he needed.

When while waiting in a line, he noticed that when his turn would come, the blurays would be sold out, he used Michael to create a gate and take three copies, leaving money in their place.

He even used Haniel to turn himself into a staff member and shamelessly cut the lines when he needed to.

In normal times, Shidou would feel guilty about using his power like this… but Komiket was a war, and all is fair in love and war.

And so, a Boy using Angels acquired by kissing girls was rampaging through an otaku event to get the books and blurays he wanted at all cost.

Seeing his behavior, Kotori was literally howling in Fraxinus' control room, in vain; Shidou was obsessed with his task.

Nia, on her side, did not need superpowers to get her list. As a veteran of the Komiket (she had seen the first edition after all), she knew all the tricks helpful in such an event.

An urban legend would be born from that Komiket after Nia, under her pen name, would post a picture of their catch of the day: "The Insane Couple that Managed to Achieve the Komiket Pilgrimage Within One Day".

The Komiket Pilgrimage was a sacred achievement known only by connoiseurs.

To achieve it, one should visit the top 100 booths of the convention and get copies from all of them.

Because of the crowd densities and all the random factors, achieving such a feat was almost impossible even with a crew of people acting together; a few chosen ones would do it within the four days of the even.

Eventually, the Komiket came to an end and after salves of ap

* * *

plauses from all the attendants, closed its gates for the night.

It would reopen the next day at the same hour, but for Nia and Shidou, it was over as they had achieved all their goals –on top of the Komiket Pilgrimage–.

Nia and Shidou were patiently waiting in front of the train station, overflowing with people.

As always at the rush hour, the trains were full at the point train employees would have to gently pack and squeeze them so they could close the gates.

"Eeehh… I'm so tired…" Shidou sighed, stretching his arms.

"That's what happens when you use your powers recklessly" Nia replied.

She was surprised and somewhat disappointed by Shidou's behavior, but at the same time, impressed by the passion he had shown.

He was willing to go _that_ far to get the books she wanted (Shidou fighting spirit had been awoken by her but still, most of the things of the list were her wishes).

Knowing that he would do such a thing for her made her happy.

"Boy…"

"Yes, Nia?"

"Thank you for today."

"No, thank you.

"Hm?"

Shidou made an embarrassed face.

"I mean… it was fun. Even if we were not together the whole time…"

"Eh, wait for Kotori's scolding. After all, may I remind you that you used your powers to get blurays and books?"

"… but it was for a good cause."

"Yes, but it's cheating. It's a no-no."

"… it was for you…" Shidou whispered.

Nia's heart went doki for a second.

"What?"

"Forget it."

"Did you cast an Illusion spell on my ears or did you just say…"

"I didn't say anything" Shidou mumbled.

"You look like Origamin, you know?"

"…"

"You know what, Boy? I'll let it slide if you come to my home and enjoy with me the fruits of our victory. Buying books is good, reading them is better!"

Shidou smiled wryly.

It seemed he would not sleep much this night.

"Deal."

* * *

Kotori, Fraxinus' crew and the other Spirits where watching Nia and Shidou's doing on the giant screen inside the main control room.

"…"

Kotori was making a strange face, as if her Chupa-Chups had turned into a lemon flavor one all of sudden.

"Reine" she called.

"Yes?"

"Do you think it's…safe to let Shidou and Nia together an entire night?..." Kotori asked after a silence.

At this moment, two girls stepped forward.

"I think it would be better for me to join them and watch over them" Origami said. "From under the sheets and with lots of love potions."

"Fufufu, I too want to sleep with Darling alone! ~" Miku smiled (she was back from her idol tour, but seeing that Shidou was not home, had contacted Kotori). "But I'm sure a four person experience is great too!"

"Shut it, you two. Don't forget there are children here!" Kotori scolded, pointing at Yoshino and Tohka –fortunately for these two's purity, Yuzuru and Natsumi had blocked their ears so they would not hear the perv talk–.

Reine played with the stuffed bear in her breast pocket.

"Kotori, you should not worry about Shin's innocence. He is way too pure to have such corrupted thoughts."

"That's right, that baka Onii-chan is so dense…" Kotori murmured.

"Hm? Did you say something?"

"… it's nothing. Fine, let them do as they want to. This is their date, after all, but let's watch them closely. I don't want things to escalate further!"

Her commander and loving sister personalities mixed for a moment.

* * *

Shidou and Nia first ordered pizzas to replenish their energy.

Because of that, Tohka almost drown Fraxinus' bridge with her saliva and Kotori had to deactivate the teleporter as Mukuro wanted to serve as Shidou's personal maid.

After that, Nia and Shidou began an anime marathon, followed by a relaxation time where they read their hard acquired books.

They exchanged their favorites quotes and moments, the scenes that gave them chills or made them cry, and anecdotes concerning the upcoming anime and their adored seiyuu.

The alchemy between these two was truly a sight for otakus, but aboard Fraxinus, only Nakatsugawa would nod and comment at Nia and Shidou's interactions.

Shidou could finally show his "dark side" to someone and talk freely of his passions without being called a gross otaku.

Nia was happy to share all the knowledge she had gathered before with Rasiel concerning her passions.

She disliked spoilers, of course, but using Rasiel, she had learnt valuable secrets and anecdotes about that manga or that light novel; anecdotes that seemed tasteless to normies but precious to those in love with the 2D culture.

"Hey, Boy. Do you know of ZHIEND?"****

"Of course! The post-rock group with the band vocalist is the same seiyuu as Iwasawa in Angel Beats! And the songs are covered by the same real singer in the two anime!"

"Huhuu, not bad, Boy. But do you know what ZHIEND means?"

"…no?"

"Spell it aloud.

"ZHIEND… I don't see…"

"Boy, your Engrish is terrible. ZHIEND can also be spelled… The End. Do you get it now?"

"OOOOOOOH!"

Yes, that was that kind of stuff they shared.

However, when the two of them attacked their R18 doujin bag, Kotori had to find a way to quickly get Yoshino, Yoshinon and Tohka away from the control room so their innocence would not be shattered.

* * *

Hours later, late in the night.

All the Spirits, excepted Kotori, had gone back to the Itsuka household to sleep. Seeing Nia and Shidou reading different books and mangas and occasionally exchanging otaku talks was not so exciting to watch.

Even the crewmembers had taken their leave.

Kotori and Reine, however were still watching the giant screen.

According to Kotori's plan –even if Shidou using his Angels to get books was not part of it–, Nia and Shidou's date was going smoothly.

It was true that they did not have much time together, and these shared moments was heartwarming even to Kotori.

Kotori then noticed that Nia was sleeping in her bed covered with books and blurays, her light novel still in her hands.

Her face was peaceful and smiling.

Shidou, who was reading a manga, raised his head and smirked when he saw Nia.

He get up and approached her bed.

During an infamous second, Kotori thought that Shidou would do something that would label him as a criminal, but much to her relief, he just took Nia's blanket and covered her.

At that moment.

Nia grumbled and in her sleep, rolled on the side.

Her arm accidentally moved her pillow, revealing a book.

It was not weird for Nia to have a book even under her pillow, but it was indeed intriguing.

Shidou's eyes, following Nia's sudden movement, fell on the book.

Shidou himself made a curious face and his hands slowly reached the book.

Kotori, however, was not paying attention to the scene.

"I suppose that when Shidou will be done with his stalking doing, he will go home. With that, it should be okay…"

She reported her attention to the screen.

The book Shidou was holding was quite a light one, but it was indeed a manga.

Suddenly.

"Kotori. Shin's values are… conflicted. I've never seen that."

One glance at the datas sufficed to Kotori.

Shidou's mood level was very strange. It was like… he was happy but trying to restrain his happiness. His emotions were as Reine said, conflicted.

"What does…"

On the screen, Shidou suddenly dropped the book and ran out of Nia's apartment; fortunately, he did not wake her up.

Kotori would never forget Shidou's face from that moment.

Painful and resigned at the same time.


	5. Who?

The next week, following Nia and Shidou's date.

Undergoing a radical transformation, Nia seemed to have fully accepted her feelings toward Shidou.

Their epic fight at the Komiket and their after party spent to read manga and exchange about the 2D world showed her that she was truly alone before meeting him.

She had realized that Shidou was the only one with whom she could talk freely, be it about trivial matters or her passion… because Shidou would accept her no matter what.

Thus.

Nia had sealed all of her Tokiya's goods (Tokiya being her previous waifu even though he's a guy) in a coffin and proclaimed that Shidou was her new 3D waifu.

Having accepted her love and passion, Nia put in application all her otome heart to win Shidou's heart, using all the techniques she had seen in games or shoujo mangas.

As for example, she sneaked in the Itsuka household one morning and, disguised as a maid only wearing a naked apron, prepared breakfast for him, insisting on feeding him herself.

She hid her underwear in his closet, made him bentos, "accidentally tripped" to embrace him, ambushed him when he would get home, and wait for him at Raizen High's main gates.

Nia also ran into him one morning at the corner of a street, with a slice of bread in her mouth, wearing a student uniform.

She also tried to get hired as a teacher in his school, to trigger the "older teacher" route by her own words, not to avail.

This sudden "rabu rabu" behavior –especially coming from Nia– surprised all the Spirits (excepted Kotori) and of course, pissed off Shidou's male friends.

They were used to see girls around him at school but Nia's appearance was too much.

It was because she fitted most of their fetishes/ideals:

She was older yet sexy.

She had glasses.

She had blue eyes and silver hair.

And she shared their otaku tastes.

Of course her breasts were small but small breasts was also a fetish on its own, so Nia pretty much represented perfection to them.

And seeing a perfect girl clinging to this Shidou guy who already had a harem…

It made Shidou the public enemy at Raizen High.

At some point, Shidou could not enter a room in Raizen High without seeing people cursing dolls at his image, nailing them against the walls, or stabbing pictures of him with sadistic laughter.

He witnessed photos of him slashed with a cutter, or people seemingly doing weird rituals around bonfires while chanting his name.

Shidou was so scared by his comrades behavior that he considered disguising himself with Haniel in order to avoid troubles.

But the most incomprehensible thing in all of this was that Shidou was actually running away from Nia.

It was not his usual secret technique of running away, like, when he would escape a dire or embarrassing situation.

Something as Origami trying to get him to a love hotel, or Mukuro asking him to teach him the way to love.

No, he was running away and avoiding her with a pained expression, as if he was restraining his feelings.

It was not Shidou-like at all.

Of course, his apparent cold behavior hurt Nia who, despite all her efforts, was not making any progress –much to the other Spirits' relief as sad as it was to say–.

Only one person, aside from Nia, was unhappy about how the things were going: Kotori.

Nia had somehow overcame her sudden depression and stabilized her emotions. No, it was more correct to say that Nia had found a new reason to move on.

Even if their bond was still perturbed for an unknown reason, Kotori knew they had to prevent Nia from going depressed again.

If the problem was not coming from her, it only meant Shidou was the source.

One way or another, they had to solve this matter before something bad could happen.

Kotori could only groan when she thought she was basically helping again a rival in love…

* * *

"Nushi-sama?"

"Yes?"

"Muku doth not understand. Why is that being an evil ruler is … cool?"

As Mukuro was talking in quite an archaic dialect, the word "cool" coming from her mouth made Shidou's heart throb for an unknown reason.

"Ermm, you know, it's just that… how to say… the justice is cool, but to be against the law, against the gods is way better, don't you think?"

Shidou was trying to convert Mukuro to the otaku culture. They were in his room at the Itsuka household.

To do so, he had dug up and shown her the very books (light novels) that had contaminated him with the chuunibyou when he was younger.

"Hueh... Muku thinks the main character doth resemble Nushi-sama."

"A-re? What do you mean?"

"Nushi-sama is did surround by beauteous girls holding powers."

"…"

The light novel Shidou had lent to Mukuro was about a boy in a literature club where all the members were girls with superpowers.

Their daily life had suddenly turned into a war with other users, and of course, the main character was dense as hell and had built himself a harem without even noticing it.

In a certain way, it indeed resembled Shidou in the context as Shidou himself was surrounded by girls with Angels…

And the boy was a pure chuuni, creating poems, incantations, odes to the darkness and the dark flames and claiming proudly his passion as an otaku.

(It does… resemble, the past me…)

Shidou laughed it off nervously and kept answering Muku's questions about the universe of the light novel.

Mukuro had never read such a book before and was in a certain way very innocent when it came to modern culture.

However, she was an enthusiastic and curious student and it was a real pleasure for Shidou to explain her and teach her his passion.

Forcing their culture onto someone else was an otaku privilege, after all.

Not to mention that Mukuro was loving her private moment with him. If it was with Shidou, she would enjoy anything.

Suddenly, the door of the bedroom opened and Kotori, wearing her commander's outfit, entered.

"Mukuro. I'm sorry, but I have to speak my Shidou."

Her tone was calm yet firm.

Shidou understood that he had nowhere to run.

"Mukuro…I'm sorry, but…"

Mukuro smiled and shook her head, swinging her adorable hair at the same time.

"Nay. Muku is fine. Prythee, Nushi-sama, take thy time."

Mukuro then graciously left the bedroom, holding against her chest the book Shidou had showed her like it was a treasure and humming a song.

When Mukuro's footsteps in the stairs faded, Kotori gave Shidou a strange gaze.

It was if she was pitying him and angry at the same time. However, she did not beat around the bush.

"Shidou. What are you doing with Nia?"

"…"

Shidou remained silent.

"You know what your role in Ratatoskr is. We don't… I don't ask you to love everyone, that would make you a despicable gigolo. But since you made the girls fall for you, you have to take care of them too and show them affection. Not to run away from them."

Kotori looked at him in the eyes.

"Shidou, why are you running away from Nia? No, why did you run away from her apartment the other night?"

"…"

"You know what will happen if she feels betrayed or abandoned by you… you know the risks better than anyone. So why?"

"I'm afraid."

Shidou's words surprised Kotori.

Shidou always did his best to overcome dire situations no matter hopeless they were. He had his weaknesses, but even so, he tried not to show them.

He found the courage to brave trials that any normal human would've ran away from. He did fear death, but was willing to put his own life on the line for people he barely knew.

So… what was frightening him so much?

"Shidou… do you fear that by deepening your bond with one of us, the others would feel bad? If that's the case, rest assured, we–"

"That's not it!"

Shidou cut her mid-sentence.

His sharp tone, the powerlessness contained in his voice shocked Kotori.

She quietly observed her brother conflicted with his own emotions, not knowing if he was willing to talk.

Shidou clenched his fists so hard he was trembling.

But eventually, he seemed to give up. Kotori took advantage of this to push her questioning further.

"Shidou. Nia and you…seem to get along. Why don't you just…date her? I mean, date her for good. Or rather, why don't you date anybody? It's not that you couldn't…"

Kotori couldn't know if the question was from the Fraxinus commander, or the woman in love with her brother.

However, she wanted to know.

It was weird, after all.

"You're wrong, Kotori. I can't."

"What?"

Shidou's face was sad and serious at the same time.

"Kotori, you know that your Onii-chan is a male with human needs and desires."

"Saying it like that is gross, but yeah…"

"The other night… I found out that doujin under Nia's pillow. For her to hold something that close… I was shocked, so… I ran away because I didn't know what to do."

He paused.

"And then next days, the way she start to behave… I thought that probably… no, surely, Nia loved me sincerely. She had never shown such emotions before. So… when I realized that she held these feeling toward me… I was happy."

Kotori frowned. It was not what she expected.

"So why…"

"But I would never engage myself with Nia or one of you."

"Why?!"

Kotori almost yelled at this declaration. Could it be, Shidou was homo–

"It's not that I don't like girls, in case you wonder" Shidou bitterly laughed. "In fact… I really like... I… no, I'm almost sure I love Nia."

"Shidou…"

That sudden and honest declaration took Kotori aback and pained her at the same time.

(So he loves her…)

Of course Shidou would fall in love with someone, one day.

It was just how life was. Kotori rational side understood and accepted this.

But since she loved him as well… it was hard to accept for this part of her.

However, if Shidou's feelings were genuine, she would not get in the way.

"I under—"

"But I would never date a Spirit for good, even the one I'd love."

Shidou's interjection confused her at first but quickly angered her.

Her feelings entwined with the reason of her visit. She didn't understand him at all.

"What do you mean…."

Kotori's voice was low, filled with pain and frustration.

"Kotori…"

But before Shidou could explain himself, Kotori lost it.

"What do you mean! You like us, but you don't want to get with us? You love Nia, and yet you avoid her? What is that? Are you running away from your responsibilities? Is it that you are still afraid of us? We may be Spirits, but we are humans too! You should know that better than anyone, baka Shidou!"

Shidou did not bulge faced with Kotori's words.

He withstood her anger and feelings without saying a word.

When Kotori eventually calmed down, breathing hard, he simply bowed his head.

"…I know all of this. But if I'm afraid…"

In contrast with Kotori's voice, his was quiet and… scared.

Shidou shook his head slowly.

"Think about it, Kotori. If I were to engage myself in serious relationship with Nia… Yes, I'm sure we would be happy. I'm sure it would be wonderful."

Shidou's expression brightened only for a second. A bitter smile soon appeared on his face.

"But I am not a Spirit. I merely hold their powers, that's all. You girls… live way longer than humans. You age also slower… But not me. Which means…if I were to live at Nia's side… I would die long before her, and I would leave her alone way too soon. She'd spend years… decades… maybe eternity, alone, suffering because of me who left her."

"…"

Kotori was at loss for words.

"Kotori. I know how it feels to love and be loved in return…and then to be abandoned. I know that pain better than anyone…and that's why, I don't want to inflict it to Nia or to anyone. That's why I'm running away from her… I don't want to make a mistake that would cause her grief one day…"

Kotori bit her lip.

"But, Nia…could have the possibility to find someone else, don't you think? Even if you… died… she could live on. Why don't you enjoy your time?..."

As she pronounced these words, Kotori knew that she was wrong.

"Really, Kotori? Do you really think Nia would find someone else? Someone who would accept that she'd live way longer, someone who wouldn't be afraid?..."

"…"

Shidou was right, again.

Getting older, but seeing your partner remaining young was abnormal. Even if they were humans, these girls remained Spirits…

And this was not the only issue.

People are afraid of the unknown. If they meet something or someone different, their instinct will make them reject it.

This was not a bad reaction but a primal one.

If someone were to learn that he was dating a Spirit, learn that they were responsible for the spacequakes… they would surely reject them out of fear.

That was what happened with the AST.

On the other hand, Shidou… Shidou met, discussed, fought, cried, rejoiced with the Spirits. He was probably one of the few humans who could accept them… live with them.

The chances of encountering another person like him… were thin, to say the least.

"… you're right… But, it's the same for us..."

Kotori looked dejected. Because the same logic applied to them.

"I know…this is why, I cannot engage myself with any Spirit. Do you understand, now, Kotori?"

(Of course, Shidou would think that way…)

When Kotori thought about it, it was so understandable.

Shidou was her adopted brother because he had been abandoned by his mother when he was a kid.

His mother, whom he loved more than anybody on Earth, had just left him. Abandoned him, all of sudden.

Even when Kotori's parents welcomed him in their family, Shidou was going through very dark times. It seemed to Kotori that he was about to suicide in order to put an end to his suffering.

His heart was broken, and it took him a long time to eventually recover.

Thus, Shidou knew more than anyone the feeling of being loved and to be deprived of that love.

Loneliness. Deep sadness. Bottomless despair.

All these emotions that would have Inversed any Spirit and conducted anyone to suicide had been experienced by Shidou.

His choice was stupid.

He was ready to throw away a life of happiness and pleasure… not to cause suffering to the one he actually loved.

If it was "just" a normal relationship, or a normal girl… maybe Shidou wouldn't mind it.

After all, loving someone included the risk of being separated one day or another, by death or other factors.

It was only natural and it was called "life".

However… inflicting that pain to someone who would live way longer, who would likely never find another partner, was impossible for him.

But that was Shidou. That was just like him.

Kotori wanted to scream at him, to insult him and try to bring him back to reason.

He just had to accept his feelings like Nia had done. Shidou didn't even have to date her but to return her the favor, in order to stabilize their bond…

No. That would be a lie. That would be painful for him and for Nia.

Faking their relation…

Even if it was for the sake of humanity…

If Kotori was willing to do that and sacrifice Shidou's happiness in order to save millions of people, in the end, she would not be better than DEM.

That kind of thing was simply not Ratatoskr's style.

But still… how were they going to go through that?

Kotori's conflicted thoughts were interrupted by a ringtone. She immediately recognized it as being a call from Elliot Woodman, the chairman of Ratatoskr's round table.

She fished out a miniature terminal from her breast pocket and turned on the screen.

Woodman's serious yet kind face appeared.

"Commander Itsuka."

"Woodman-sama!" Kotori immediately saluted.

Shidou, as surprised as his sister, tilted his head.

"Is Itsuka Shidou with you at this moment?" Woodman asked.

"Yes?..."

"Right. I need both of you to come back to Fraxinus as soon as possible. I will be waiting for you there."

"What? Woodman-sama, what…"

"Nightmare…no, Tokisaki Kurumi contacted us."

"?!"

This time, both Kotori and Shidou gasped.

The Worst Spirit, Tokisaki Kurumi, who held Zafkiel, the Angel capable of manipulating time itself.

She wanted to devour Shidou for his mana and use it to kill the entity known as Phantom.

For her to contact them…

"She said that DEM was about to use all the possible means to kill Itsuka Shidou. In other words… we're preparing for an all-out war."

* * *

It was quite a scene to see.

All the Spirits sheltered by Ratatoskr were gathered in Fraxinus main control room, as well as the crewmembers and of course, Shidou, Elliot Baldwin Woodman and his aid, Karen Nora Mathers, the sister of the famous Ellen Mira Mathers.

Even Takamiya Mana, Shidou's "official" self proclaimed sister, was here.

They did not have the occasion to reunite like this since the destruction of Ratatoskr's secret base by DEM, weeks ago.

Even so, the atmosphere was heavy.

Sat in his wheelchair, Woodman harbored a skeptical expression, unusual of his usual kind and reassuring face.

He eventually sighed.

"Thank you to all of you for coming here. I did not plan for our reunion to be so worrying, but I can assure you that I would not have convoked you without serious reasons."

He paused and bowed his head toward all the attendants. Woodman always respected his subordinates and people in general, which was why he was well liked in return.

"As I told you, several Ratatoskr facilities have been contacted by Tokisaki Kurumi… or rather her clones. Even Fraxinus, if I am not mistaking."

"Yes, that's correct. I believe she shared the same message with all of us" Reine said.

Woodman nodded slowly and looked Shidou in the eyes. His gaze carried all of his strength.

"I'll be frank. Tokisaki Kurumi informed us that DEM was planning to kill you… in order to Inverse everyone present here."

"!..."

Inverse Form.

When a Spirit was pressured by extremely negative emotions, such as despair, anger and sadness, they would Inverse.

That phenomenon would cause them a radical change in both their powers and personality.

Basically, it was a dark facet, the other side of the coin; any Inversed Spirit would become an entity with a terrible thirst of destruction, rampaging and causing unimaginable damages.

Such a thing occurred only four times, to the respective Spirits: Tohka, Origami and Nia.

Each time, thanks to everyone and especially Shidou's tenacity, they managed to stop them.

But now…

Nobody in the room asked for further details as everyone understood the meaning of Woodman's explanation.

They all had been saved by Shidou, one way or another.

The fact that they were living an almost normal human life was thanks to Shidou.

It was not an exaggeration to say that Shidou was their most precious being, the one they cared for more than anything.

Shidou was not only their savior, he was also a gentle person, always caring for them. He was part of their life, of their identity, of their world.

He was an existence that linked them all together.

Shidou was just Shidou.

So, to imagine him being killed by DEM, they looked at Shidou all had the same thought at the same moment.

_**A world without you in it…** _

… _ **wouldn't be worth anything.**_

If Shidou were to die…

If Shidou were to disappear...

They all shivered at this possibility.

Woodman raised a hand to ease them.

"Of course, we will definitely not allow it. Ratatoskr will do everything to defend Itsuka Shidou."

Mana shook her head, her ponytail swinging.

"But can we really trust Nightmare? If I remember correctly, she just wants to eat Nii-sama…"

"Oooh, but I totally get her! I too would like to taste Darling, especially in his Shiori's form!" Miku spoke enthusiastically.

"Miku, STOP DROOLING!" Natsumi ordered.

"But Manacchi is right… can we believe Kurumin?" Nia asked, ignoring Miku who was hugging Natsumi to contain her lust.

Woodman readjusted his position on his wheelchair.

"It is true that Tokisaki Kurumi has always been unpredictable. But I do think that she is telling the truth here. Since she wants to devour Itsuka Shidou, having him dying at DEM's hands would be a waste. We have to consider the entire picture. Warning us against DEM's eventual plan would only have one consequence, which is having us on the edge and maximum alert. What would Tokisaki Kurumi gain from that, especially if her plan is to subdue Itsuka Shidou?"

"…nothing." Kotori eventually concluded.

"Exactly."

"But… I have a question" Kotori pursued. "DEM's goal is clear as crystal now. They want to Inverse us to take our Qlipha Crystals… Our goal too is clear, we just want the Spirits to have normal lives. Amidst all of this… what is Phantom's goal?"

Phantom was the codename given to the First Spirit whom had been distributing Sephira Crystals to everyone during the last thirty years.

She was apparently a girl, but her doing has been changing and influencing the world in secret.

On top of that, she seemed to be greatly interested in Shidou, as she had protected her once from Ratatoskr's weapon, Dainslaif.

In other words, she was a mystery.

"I know we asked ourselves this question quite a lot of times… but I have the feeling that it is really important _now_. We will probably lead our ultimate battle against DEM. The last stage, the last boss… and yet, we still don't know the why and the how of the story. It is highly probable that knowing Phantom's intentions would bring us a great deal of information… Also, if our goals were to converge, perhaps she could… help us."

These last words were almost spat.

"Kotori…you desire the help of Phantom?" Origami coldly asked. "After what happened… I thought you would be the last one to consider such a thing."

Origami, who had become a Spirit indirectly because of Phantom's doing and accidentally killed her parents on another timeline, was perhaps the one who had the most difficulties to accept being a Spirit.

That aside from the fact she had spent years in the AST trying to kill the very same Spirits.

"If it's to save Onii-ch…I mean, Shidou's life, I'm ready to do it" Kotori replied.

"That sisterly devotion! I love it!" Nia breathed.

"Why are we surrounded by perverts…" Natsumi murmured.

"Muku shall protect Nushi-sama" Mukuro declared with passion, hugging Shidou and startling him.

"If they dare to lift a finger on the Yamai Sisters' property, I will bring down upon them the lightning of judgment!"

"Approbation. But Kaguya can't use lightning."

Woodman suddenly cleared his throat, bringing an end to the Spirits' tsukkomi.

"Pardon me, but I have other informations to share" he said. "In fact…these are concerning Phantom itself, or to be exact, the First Spirit."

Not so long ago, Woodman had told Shidou and the others that he was originally part of DEM, having contributed to give life to the First Spirit.

He had fell in love with her and following this, had left DEM to found Ratatoskr, followed by Karen.

"You already know that I played a role in the birth of the First Spirit. Itsuka Shidou."

His solemn tone made Shidou gulp.

"Last time we saw each other, I had my doubts, but I am now certain that I must tell you everything that happened since the day we created the First Spirit. No… to be precise, I must tell you how I came to leave DEM and my friends."

* * *

Woodman then told them the story behind the creation of the First Spirit and how, in front of their eyes, the splendid being suddenly vanished.

Westcott and him quickly understood that the First Spirit had no control over her powers and would randomly appear in their world and the Spirits' world, causing what would be later called spacequakes.

Simply put, she was like a baby, not aware of her own powers.

Of course, DEM put all of its efforts to find her; the leaders of the organization, Westcott, Woodman, Ellen and Karen were even leading the searches.

At that time, Woodman had already fallen in love with the First Spirit and was participating the searches only to find her first and protect her, while Westcott was obsessed by the power she could provide them.

Since she had been created in a certain city, it was highly probable that she would come back sooner or later there, which was why they put the place under a strict watch.

That surveillance proved to be efficient as some time later, a strong spacequake occurred there.

DEM immediately began its searches but it appeared that the First Spirit had disappeared. However, they quickly noticed that their target had not left the world and was hiding somewhere.

It took them some time, but DEM eventually found out that the First Spirit, with her appearance of simple young girl, had been sheltered by a young boy and his sister.

Westcott immediately took in charge the operation. While Ellen and Karen were in charge of subduing the sister in order to pressure the boy, Woodman and himself would go and capture the First Spirit.

Although Karen was reluctant to kidnap a girl, Ellen obeyed the orders without asking any question.

The plan worked perfectly, but the First Spirit and the boy ran away together.

Woodman planned at this time to take the First Spirit with him and hide, away from Westcott deranged mind.

However, when he saw her with the boy, he had the feeling that the first would be able to protect her better than he would ever do.

Woodman quickly made up his mind and decided to let the boy and the First Spirit run away, fighting and delaying his own men to allow them to escape.

* * *

– **Around thirty years earlier –**

Elliott Baldwin Woodman had just betrayed the organization he supported for years, Deux Ex Machina Industries.

For him, one of the last Wizards to betray his companions just for his selfish desire…

He had just knocked out several of his own underlings to allow the young boy and Mio, the First Spirit, to escape.

"Mio, heh…that really is a good name. I have the feeling this boy is talented about giving names…" Woodman smiled.

He then immediately started to think about his situation.

His first plan of taking the First Spirit away from DEM was now a mess, he needed another strategy.

An idea popped up in his head as he immediately started to develop it.

But before he could come to a conclusion.

A tremendous reiryoku explosion occurred, not far away from him.

As an experienced Wizard, Woodman immediately felt the burst of pure energy released.

It was without a doubt Mio, the First Spirit.

Woodman gasped with anguish, and made his way towards the explosion.

Less than an hour later, Woodman reunited with Westcott and the rest of his squad, all harmed at different degrees.

"What happened, Isaac?!" Woodman questioned.

Westcott was strangely smiling, despite his broken arm.

"We found her, accompanied by the boy. I tried to persuade the boy to trade the Spirit for her sister, but he refused, so I had no other choice…"

"…What did you do, Isaac?"

Woodman's calm tone was hiding his true emotions.

Westcott shrugged.

"Well, I shot him. I would've done that anyway. But for some reason, it looked like the Spirit cared a lot about this boy and unleashed her reiryoku… hahaha, such a power… we had no choice but to retreat."

Westcott was half laughing while telling the story, his eyes shining like a boy in front of his new toys the morning of Christmas.

"You shot him? Is he dead, or did he escape with the Spirit?" Woodman questioned, horrified at the thought of his best friend killing a child.

"I am quite certain I aimed well… even though, it's not that easy to shoot a moving target, you know?"

Westcott sighed.

He could have been talking about the weather but no, he was casually explaining how he had just shot a boy.

An innocent boy.

Westcott had only known the boy for a few moments. He didn't even know his name, yet… he felt nauseous.

"Whatever. We have this boy's sister, and the Spirit looked very caring about her too, so I guess we still have the upper hand. Hahaha… who knew the weakness of such a splendid and powerful being would be some kids?..."

Woodman was deeply shocked by the merciless side his childhood friend and rival was showing.

He knew that Westcott was different in a certain way. He knew he would do unreasonable things.

But going this far…

Yes, at first, he too wanted power.

The power to defend themselves, the power to avenge their close ones.

However, if the price of power was them murdering children… were they better than the humans that ravaged their hometown?

On that grim day, Woodman definitely made his choice.

Weeks later, he eventually left DEM.

He of course tried to recover Mana Takamiya, the sister of the boy, but failed and had to escape in extremis, with the help of Karen Mathers.

The organization he founded a short time after the events would be known as Ratatoskr, with the mission of protecting any Spirit that would show up in the world.

* * *

– **Present Time, Fraxinus' main control room –**

"You know now the whole story" Woodman said.

Shidou and everyone in the room were astonished by these revelations.

If Woodman was telling the truth, and they knew he was…

Thirty years ago, a boy strongly resembling Shidou and his sister, Mana Takamiya, had been in contact with the First Spirit.

The dates corresponded too with the first Spirit-like activities recorded.

The First Spirit, Mio, was the one behind Phantom's mystery.

Which meant, this boy and Shidou were… the same.

So…what was Mio's goal?

Why was Shidou alive?

Why was Mana the same age as thirty years ago?

Before anyone could ask one of these questions, Woodman spoke again.

"I still wonder today if I should have escorted Mio and you instead of letting you go…and yet, I do not find an answer" he said. "Because of me, your sister and you have been through terrible trials. That is why… I sincerely apologize for everything, Itsuka Shidou."

He paused, and slowly shook his head.

"No... Takamiya Shinji."

When Shidou heard that name, "something" unlocked inside of him.

He began to tremble, unnoticed by the others.

All of sudden, memories flowed inside his head, playing in front of his eyes.

"Ah…."

It was a stream of information, sensations, memories.

Shidou remembered everything that happened in his "previous" life as Takamiya Shinji.

His parents.

His childhood.

His sister, Mana, always teasing him.

His meeting with Mio.

His first date with her.

The attack by DEM.

And finally, his own death.

The cold and dark embrace of death, followed by another sensation of being aspired and sheltered.

But it didn't stop there.

Shidou and Shinji's memories conflicted with each other, as if two distinct persons were trying to take possession of the same body.

Shidou's memories of his mother interweaved with Shinji's memories of his parents.

Their respective souvenirs battled, writing over themselves, erasing, replacing, entwining, to the point that the boy known as "Shidou" did not even know who he was anymore.

"I… Ghh…"

Shidou felt dizzy. No… not dizzy.

His head was hurting. His thoughts were so confused he couldn't speak.

Woodman frowned, and everyone's gaze turned to Shidou.

"Nee, Boy… are you okay? Your nose is bleeding…" Nia noticed.

"Shidou" did not, could not answer, though he indeed felt something warm on his lips, the iron taste of his own blood invading his mouth.

His eyes were shivering as images and souvenirs played in front of him.

"My sister is…Kotori… no, Mana… I live in… where… I'm… I'm… who?..."

Desperately trying to get a hold on his own identity, "Shidou" began to stutter.

"Boy?!"

"Shidou?!"

"Nushi-sama?"

"Shidou-san?!"

"Darling?!

As he heard the voices of the Spirits, "Shidou" powerlessly collapsed.

His body helplessly convulsing, "Shidou" had a last thought.

(Who, am I?...)


	6. Easily Flustered Virgin

Right after Shidou collapsed, Reine surprised everyone by being the first one to prevent him from hitting the ground, moving at lightspeed.

She immediately took him to the infirmary, helped and followed by the Spirits, whom Shidou's unexpected reaction startled.

Only Kotori remained behind in the main control room, along with Elliott Woodman and Karen Mathers.

Kotori took several deep breaths in order to calm down and spoke up.

"If anything happens to Shidou after that, I will not forgive you. Even if it's you, Woodman-sama."

It was the first time Kotori ever talked to Woodman like this. She always respected and admired Ratatoskr's chairman, but the truth he hid for so long as well as her worry for Shidou were too much.

Neither Karen nor Woodman bulged at Kotori's words. Maybe, because her anger was perfectly justified.

Woodman simply nodded.

"I would understand, Commander Itsuka. But I felt like I had to tell him that story, and to you as well. You deserve to know the truth and I can assure you my intentions were not to harm your brother in any way."

"That, I can believe. But still…"

Kotori played with her ribbons, offered by Shidou, thinking.

Learning that her brother was someone else who had somehow been given a second life was hard both to understand and to accept.

Besides, was it even possible? For a moment, Kotori thought that maybe, it was false or wrong but the pieces of the puzzles fell together perfectly.

It was not like Woodman to mistake someone and Mana's presence and story, as well as the fact that she somehow knew Shidou was her brother, now made sense.

However, did it mean that the existence known as "Itsuka Shidou" was ephemeral? Did he exist only for the sake of his past self? Was he another person?...

Was "Itsuka Shidou" going to disappear one day?...

After all… if he appeared, or came back to life one way or another… the possibility of him dying as suddenly was also real.

At that thought, Kotori shivered.

For her, her brother was her savior…no, he was more than that. To say he was her most precious treasure was not an exaggeration.

And aside from her, Kotori apprehended what the potential disappearance of Shidou would cause.

Shidou had saved countless lives without knowing it by preventing the existences known as Spirits to cause spacequakes and moreover, had saved these very Spirits.

If he were to disappear…

There was no doubt that every Spirit would Inverse.

Kotori suddenly had a terrifying idea.

What if all of this was orchestrated by DEM?

A way to harm Shidou without having to fight Ratatoskr, so all the Spirits under their protection would Inverse?

(No… I am thinking too much. There is no reason to believe Shidou will disappear. And this whole thing, is surely an accident, caused by something Woodman-sama himself is not aware of…)

"Commander Itsuka. You better go and see if Itsuka Shidou is fine. I am certain he will need you. I shall take my leave with Karen and keep you in touch. We do not know how DEM will attack but if they are willing to do everything to kill your brother, we better prepare ourselves for an open and decisive battle."

Kotori lightly bowed and exited the control room, heading for the infirmary.

When she arrived there, Shidou had been laid on the bed of Fraxinus's infirmary.

The room next to the infirmary was a small office, unfit for the actual number of people present at this very moment.

Chief analysist Murasame Reine was talking to Tohka, Yoshino – and Yoshinon –, Yuzuru, Kaguya, Miku, Origami, Natsumi, Nia and Mukuro when Kotori joined them.

Reine had a hard time trying to calm them, given the commotion caused by Shidou suddenly collapsing.

"Everyone. I will explain to you what happened to Shin."

It was unusual for the Spirits to see Reine in such a state. She herself looked very affected, as if she had lost her legendary composure.

"From the things Shin mumbled and our own hypothesis, based on chairman Woodman's story… It looks like Shin is sharing his body and conscious with another one. Somehow, Shin already has memories of a previous life."

"I always knew Boy was special but to think he had the power of reincarnation… that's…"

Reine shook her head.

"I don't know if this is reincarnation. His brain wavelengths are however in conflict… I've never seen that before. Without the testimony of Elliot-san, we could have easily mistaken that state for schizophrenia."

"Nushi-sama…"

"Shidou-san is still… Shidou-san?"

Nia, Mukuro and Yoshino voiced their worries.

"It seems surreal but given the circumstances, we have no choice but to accept that possibility" Origami said. "And from my point of view, it doesn't seem that strange. Shidou can regenerate fatal wounds, he has travelled back in time, among other things. Reincarnation seems a small feat."

Origami's comments made everyone smile bitterly.

"Muuu…but why did Shidou lose consciousness? Why did his nose bleed?" Tohka asked, confused and concerned.

"That, I can explain."

Reine played with her stuffed teddy bear in her breast pocket a moment.

"Humanity has always been looking for immortality. Today, science allow us to understand the body better, but that goal – reaching immortality – is still impossible as of now. There are two main reasons to that."

All the Spirits were now listening carefully. It did not concern them, as Spirits seemed not to age, but it was about Shidou's condition so it was important.

"The first one is of course the human body. It is simply not lasting. An average human will live for roughly eighty years though people reaching a hundred years are not that rare. Aside from diseases, the human body just dies with time. The heart, the brain, the stomach… all the organs, or rather our cells, age. That is merely logic but important."

"Indeed. Mortals whom are not granted the Holy Grail cannot last through the ages" Kaguya said while nodding as if she was a wise old man.

"Confusion. Did Kaguya just make a Fate reference to look cool?"

"Ugwah! I am discovered!"

"If you're that enthusiastic about it, I think you only played the first route with the nudity filter on…" Nia smiled.

"Oh? What do you mean?"

Suddenly, they noticed Kotori's glare and stopped.

"Thank you" Reine said. "Then, allow me to continue…"

"Yes. Sorry."

"Apologies."

"The second cause lies in the _soul_. One can only have one soul."

"Soul?" Miku tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

"Excuse me. It has been determined that your memories, your habits, your knowledge…everything that makes you "yourself" are, one way or another, stocked in your neuronal system. That identity is what we call "soul". There are billions of connections there, billions of informations that just represent what you are. Basically, these informations are filling up your neuronal system, thus, they can be called a soul."

"Filling up… like a pork cutlet curry bowl?"

Tohka tilted her head.

"…well, this is not the best picture, but yes, you can imagine it like this. The thing is, Shin already has a "soul", an identity within him. For some reason, after chairman Woodman talked to him, another one awoken. But the human neuronal system is not designed for this situation. All these informations, coming from different lives, are probably conflicting with each other."

Reine raised a finger.

"Imagine that you know that your favorite color is green. It's something engraved in you. But all of sudden, another information is forcefully engraved in you as well: your favorite color is red. It creates a conflict, a sense of unease."

"Yeah… It's like, when you try to decide which song you prefer, right?"

"Indeed, it's a good comparison. Now you may spend some time thinking about it but it's not an issue. However, it's still a conflict. But in, Shin's case… Imagine that it concerns his whole existence."

"Muuu?..." Tohka looked lost.

"… if you try to fill an already pork cutlet curry bowl with a bowl of pudding, it will not only overflow but destroy the flavor of both of them."

"Oooh, I see now!"

Tohka's exclamation was quickly followed by a worried expression.

"But… Shidou…"

"That's right. That is surely his current condition. Having the memories of two distinct lives battling inside of him is affecting not only his "self" but also his body and mind."

"And if there is no solution… maybe we better prepare ourselves for the worst… I mean, in movies and anime, it never ends well…" Natsumi muttered.

"No… If anything were to happen to Darling, I'd better kill him myself and then follow in the grave, Roméo and Juliette style!" Miku firmly said.

"Why do I have the feeling that you are enjoying this even a bit…" Natsumi whispered.

"Muku could not bear the loss of Nushi-sama… Nushi sama hast…saved Muku…" Mukuro said in dejection. "Tell Muku that a way exists to save Nushi-sama…"

"There is. Please calm down. In order to stabilize Shin's condition, we will have to first anchor his memories. Which is why, I want all of you to go and talk to him. I want you to make him remember who he really is… as long as it is related to a moment of the life you shared with him, it will help him to determine his true self. This method is also use for people who had a cerebral stroke. It helps to stimulate the brain cells that contain the memories and the body functions."

"Yes. I've heard of that therapy for patients suffering of memory loss or brain damages. " Origami nodded. "But… is this a solution in the long run? Even if we do that, the thing is, the memories of that Shinji Takamiya will still haunt him."

"Indeed" Reine answered calmly. "I am sorry about that, but the only way we will have is to erase Shin's other self."

"…"

The Spirits observed a tensed silence.

"Is it the same as… killing him?..." Kaguya finally asked.

"Yes… and I am truly sorry about that" Reine sincerely said. "But there is place for only one Shin here. Think about it. If the person you loved the most were to live only if you killed someone else… would you do it?"

Kaguya blushed, but all the Spirits thought the same thing.

Between the life of a stranger and Shidou's…

Yes… if they had no other choice, they would do it.

Not that they wanted to. But between a ghost of the past, and Shidou…

"And how are we supposed to do that?" Nia demanded. "To erase a soul? Do you have a special skill to do so or a legendary item?"

"It is possible I already found the solution, but I need more time to confirm it. Then, please."

* * *

Shidou woke up in an infirmary bed. His memories were hazy.

It was the same state one would sometimes feel after a good night: being unable to remember who and where they were.

Excepted this horrible feeling did not go away.

Shidou didn't know who he was anymore. He doubted his own existence.

Having memories of two different lives was as shocking and confusing as to be amnesic.

Which memory were you to believe?

Who were your real parents?

Your real family?

Your preferred dish?

The girl you liked?

The color of your toothbrush?

Which school did you attend?

When was your birthday?

Your favorite manga?

Your neighbours?

All these details built one's identity.

And the main issue here was that, by believing in one, he would reject the other.

But since he _was_ also this other person, since he did really live these moments, it was the same as destroying himself.

An endless, torturing loop where "Shidou" was the judge, the executioner and the victim.

And as the person known as "Shidou" was about to lose his mind, the Spirits entered his room.

At first, he almost did not recognize them.

But a part of himself could never forget.

And so, one by one, the Spirits retold Shidou their stories, how they met, how he saved them and how they fell for him.

Tohka made him remember how he was the first one to accept her in this world.

Kaguya and Yuzuru how he allowed them to live together and grant their wish.

Yoshino and Yoshinon how kindly he behave with them.

Miku how he reminded her that she was still human.

Mukuro how being loved was pleasant.

Natsumi how friendship was a wonderful thing.

Origami how it felt to truly know parental love.

Kotori confessed how it was reassuring to have a big brother like him but worrying at the same time.

Each one of these stories appeased Shidou.

They comforted him for who he was.

He was almost the same as before, laughing with embarrassment despite his weakened state.

The shadow of the person known as Shinji Takamiya was now pushed back in a corner of his consciousness, overwhelmed by all these souvenirs belonging to Itsuka Shidou.

The room that looked so gloomy half an hour before was now resonating with laughter, exclamations and filled with warmth.

It simply looked like a group of friends visiting an ill close person – excepted that they were all girls and the ill one a boy –.

Eventually, Nia's turn came last.

Again, she told Shidou her whole story and how she had been saved by him from a certain death.

"All these years, I refused to believe in people. I had lost faith in humanity… and what disgusted me the most was that I used to be human" Nia said. "But you… have been the first one I accepted. Because you didn't lie to me. Because you were exactly what you looked like… a hero" she whispered.

Shidou made a wry smile. Being complimented by an older girl had this kind of effect.

"I'll never be able to repay you. But to you, who are used to save damsels in distress, I'm probably only girl #9."

"No, that's not…"

"But even if that's the case… Thank you, Boy…no. Thank you, Shidou."

It was perhaps the second time where Nia called Shidou by his name.

The sincerity of Nia's feelings were conveyed to Shidou the moment she called her by his name.

Both of them blushed, raising graosn and murmurs from the other Spirits.

"To me, you are Shidou. You are not Shinji Takamiya or whatever is his name. You are Shidou. The one who saved me. The one I l… the one who saved all of us. So please, don't lose yourself. Stay with us…"

Nia's declaration became a plea.

She was begging him to stay as he was.

To stay with them… with her.

"It'll soon be a month since we met each other, Boy. I want at least to celebrate this anniversary. So please…"

Shidou smiled, his cheeks slightly red.

"An anniversary, huh… I like this idea. We should make more anniversaries."

"Aaah unfair! I want to celebrate my meeting with Darling everyday!" Miku interjected.

"Everyday is already an anniversary" corrected Origami.

"Muuu, Shidou, an anniversary isn't when you eat cake?"

Nia's suggestion soon was adopted by every Spirit in the room.

Then, she smiled again and presented her hand to Shidou, her little finger raised.

"Let's make a pinky promise to make it official, alright? Like in shoujo mangas! A promise to hold more anniversaries and to rejoice. And if you don't keep it, you'll have to swallow a thousand needles!"

Shidou chuckled.

"Uwah, scary… I guess I'd better keep my word then."

He smiled and approached his little finger from Nia's.

However.

At this moment.

Shidou twitched and blinked his eyes several times, as if he was waking up.

He stopped his gesture, aghast.

Shidou's eyes looked to everyone in the room, to the room itself, and finally to himself.

"Wh-what…"

"Boy?"

"Where am I?..."

"Shidou?"

"Shidou…san?..."

"Darling?"

"Nushi-sama?"

"Who are you… who are you, all of you? Where am I?!"

Shidou began to shake and tried to stand back, which was hard since he was in an infirmary bed surrounded by girls he didn't recognize.

"No…you are… the girls _he_ met… No, it can't be, because it would mean I am… But where are… Mio? Mana?!"

Nia froze and tried to get a grip on herself, her hand and little finger still raised.

"Nee, Boy, stop joking around…it's me…"

"Who are you in the end?! Are you from these DEM guys?! Don't come near me!"

Shidou's words pierced Nia's heart, when she realized she was not talking to Shidou.

His voice was filled with fear, confusion and sobs.

"Where am I?! Mio?! Mana?! MANA!"

Shidou began to yell and sob at the same time.

He started to struggle violently.

"H-hey! Stop it! You'll hurt yourself!"

Kotori tried to stop her brother.

Incidentally, at this moment, Mana entered the room, her ponytail swinging.

She claimed to be Shidou's biological sister and shared resemblance with him, from the color of her hair and her boyish manners.

"Nii-sama!"

"Mana!... I was dead… I am… Mana!"

"Nii-sama! It's alright! I'm here! I'm right here!"

Mana pushed the Spirits aside and immediately embraced Shidou, who looked like a lost child, sobbing and crying to be found.

* * *

Eventually, Shidou fell asleep from exhaustion.

Kotori immediately left the room to talk with Reine and to get explanations about what had just happened as well as to find a way to cure Shidou.

Mana, usually so cheerful, was patting her brother's head.

Shidou's face was pale and wet with tears.

All the Spirits were tensed and silent.

"… I just arrived and I crossed the path of chairman Woodman… He explained me everything. Like Nii-sama, I had a severe headache, but I now recall everything… And Nii-sama is…"

"…"

Nia was shocked.

How did they come to that situation?

Shidou was supposed to feel better. He was smiling, laughing, he was _himself._

So why?...

Nia shook her head, trying to put order in her thoughts.

She had to behave like the heroine of a shoujo manga ; she could not afford to lose her time and become depressive.

"Nee, Manacchi…"

"Stop calling me like that, I'm not a Pokémon…"

"You said you did not collapse like Boy…does that mean, you are still yourself?"

Nia's question was quite vague but everyone in the room get what she meant.

Was it possible for Mana to be a "reincarnated" person too?

"… yes."

"How is that possible?"

Mana laughed bitterly.

"It seems DEM applied several modifications to my body and sealed my memories. Because of that, I gained my actual strength, but my lifespan has decreased and I kept my childish appearance. Though the first issue has been solved by Ratatoskr. Technically, I didn't… die."

"And Boy…"

"… I don't know what really happened back there since DEM kidnapped me at that time. But… Nii-sama…"

Mana did not achieve her sentence.

Silence came back, with a growing uneasiness.

Nia didn't like that. It was her role to dispel this kind of heavy atmosphere…

"Say, imouto-chan #2…"

"Why don't you just call me Mana?!"

"Your first Nii-sama… No, Shinji Takamiya. How was he?..."

That question made the other Spirits raise their heads as it was truly intriguing.

"… why are you asking that?"

"I am curious. Isn't it natural for an author?"

"I guess…"

Mana took a look at Shidou's sleeping face and closed the eyes to gather her memories.

"Nii-sama… was a coward, indecisive, timid, easily flustered virgin!"

That sudden declaration surprised the Spirits, who expected a passionate and lovey dovey speech from a brocon sister.

"He could never take a decision by himself, he could never say no to someone – especially a girl – and he would always come back earlier at home, not going in any club!"

"Mmmh…for some reason, I can picture that character very well…"

Nia had a smile, while Mana was still grumbling.

Eventually, she grinned.

"Yes, Nii-sama was just like this. But… he was also kind. He would always lend a hand to someone needing assistance. Since our parents were often overseas for business trips, Nii-sama was a very skilled cook. Nii-sama… was ready to save even a stranger. You know, he's the type of person to help a granny cross the street, and so on."

Mana paused and suddenly pouted.

"But he was also reckless, imprudent and not paying enough attention to himself!"

That made all the Spirits chuckle.

Mana's description perfectly matched the Shidou they knew.

Nia's hilarity came to an end.

"Yes… it is exactly the Boy I know…"

"But…if Shidou-san and Shinji-san are so similar… why is that they fight?..." Yoshino asked.

"Yes… I too find it strange" Mana said. "The two Nii-sama I know would be ready to give up on their own life to save someone else. So… why, indeed…"

"Suggestion. Maybe because… both of them have something they hold dear in their heart. Something so precious they would definitely live for it…"

It was Yuzuru who suggested that, with a desolated expression.

For once, Kaguya did not find any chuuni thing to say and remained quiet.

The other Spirits nodded in silence.

When they were persuaded that they had to fuse and that one of them would disappear, the Yamai Sisters wanted the other one to live at all cost.

They even fought to save the other.

However, in the end, they admitted that they didn't want to disappear but to live and spend more time together.

"…how about we go and eat something?" Nia suddenly proposed. "It's not like we're helping Boy and ourselves by staying here…it's quite cramped. We better try to relax ourselves and fill our stomachs!"

At the same moment, Tohka's belly growled.

"Umu! And we'll bring back Shidou lots of food so he can get better quickly!" the black haired princess approved.

"… you're saying that because you know that we're only being a hindrance to him and that if he awakes again as Shinji Takamiya he will be scared and faint again–"

"Stop, Natsumin. If you keep going like that you will _really_ scare him" Nia interjected.

"..Sorry."

"Approval. Staying here to weep and make theories will not be of any good."

"Guuuh…it pains this noble me to admit it, but the truth is I need to refill my energy…"

In truth, even if they voice their approval, the Spirits did not really want to leave Shidou alone.

They secretly feared to find someone who would not be the one they knew.

But at the same time, they wanted to escape the terrible atmosphere filling the lonely room.

Yes, it was as if they were witnessing the last instants of a close one.


	7. Happy End

While the Spirits were talking with Mana after Shidou's second commotion, Reine was examining the readings of the boy's condition in another room of Fraxinus.

Kotori, eager to learn what the hell happened to her brother, had followed and was waiting for her analysist officer to speak.

Kotori knew that yelling for answers would not do any good, especially given Reine's expression but the waiting was unbearable.

The analysis room where they were was quite dark, with no source of light excepted coming from the several computer screens positioned in front of a comfortable chair.

It was Reine's preferred environment, where she would spend entire nights –which explained the bags under her eyes– and the only smell was one of coffee. Thus, it was not decorated in any way.

Eventually, Reine sighed deeply and rubbed her sleepy eyes.

Kotori recognized it as a sign that she was done with what she had to check.

"Reine."

"…"

"Helping Shidou to remember who he really is was supposed to help him. That's what you told us. So why that Shinji Takamiya managed to take control of Shidou's body?" she asked sharply, unable to contain the anger in her voice.

She knew that Reine was not responsible for this, but as she was the one to tell them to do so, she was the only one she could blame at the moment.

"It worked at first…" Reine began.

"Yes, it did! Shidou was Shidou! Shidou was smiling! So why, in the end…"

Kotori couldn't keep her phrasing going and instead, hit a desk with her first.

"Kotori… I am sorry and I understand your concern. To put it simply, when someone is about to die, they can show unexpected resources."

"Yes…"

"Shin's current state is a fight between the two persons occupying his body. If one grows stronger, the other weakens. The fact that Shin's personality to suddenly change was simply a reaction of the one who felt he was pushed aside."

"…the riposte of someone in a dire situation…"

"Exactly. I am very sorry for that."

Kotori collected her thoughts.

With Shidou in that fragile and unstable state, they would have no chance to openly fight DEM. Shidou would be much more vulnerable like this.

No, that was not even the main issue there.

If Shidou were to lose control of his powers… having sealed ten Spirits, the result would be…

Would be what? They had no way to predict what would happen and had no clue of a similar incident in the past.

For such an amount or reiryoku, the entire Japan would be wiped out as well as a probably half of the Asian continent… probably more.

Were they to live again the Itsuka Disaster?...

Kotori shook her head to chase her fear

(No. I will not allow it. I promise I will not let Shidou down. I will not give in to despair like last time.)

Her determination renewed, Kotori breathed in and out before asking Reine:

"So. I heard you had a solution. What is it? What do you need?"

"… I need you to listen to me carefully, Kotori."

"Huh?"

Reine's unexpected's answer made Kotori tilt her head. Reine's sleepy face was unshakable as always, but Kotori felt something was off from her tone.

"What is it, Reine?"

"… Everything I am about to tell you is true. I can assure you this is neither a joke nor a lie."

"…Reine. You're kind of scary."

Kotori did not recognize her friend. She looked like another person as her voice was serious yet somehow…sorry?

"Reine, you say. Huh. It has been my name for so many years…"

"What?"

"You gave me other names, Kotori. _Phantom_. _First Spirit._ But the only name I recognize and answer to is _Mio Takamiya._ "

Kotori blinked, not sure of what she just heard.

Only the fact that she was wearing her black ribbons helped her to keep thinking rationally.

Kotori then took in account all the data she had and her possible courses of action.

It leaded her to a conclusion and she acted immediately.

" _Camael_!"

She called her Angel to summon her Limited Astral Dress.

If Reine was telling the truth…

If Reine was the First Spirit…

Kotori had to restrain her as soon as possible, before she could apply whatever plan she had.

Offense was sometimes the best defense, after all.

But Kotori's call remained unanswered.

Her Limited Astral Dress did not manifest.

Was it Reine's doing?

"Ah, Kotori. You really are a smart child. You immediately tried to take action in case I was telling the truth."

Reine seemed to genuinely praise Kotori but her warm and calm words sounded frightening.

She did not even think of running away.

She was trying to put up the pieces of the puzzle and understand what was going on.

And then, she recalled the story told by chairman Woodman.

A boy named Shinji Takamiya who took in a Spirit named Mio.

Shinji Takamiya.

Shinji.

_Shin._

The only person who called Shidou like that was Reine.

Something they all believed to be a mistake. All this time, or even a joke Reine thought of.

But in reality, all this time, Reine – or rather, Mio – was the only one to call Shidou by his "real" name.

More element she found either weird or funny took sense, one after another.

Reine's expression when she told her Shidou was about to suicide once abandoned by his mother.

Reine's anger when they discovered DEM had modified Mana's body.

Reine's determination to help and save Shidou.

And then, a recent detail gave her chills.

Reine was talking about "erasing" the other personality inside Shidou's body.

The fact that they would have to "kill" that other one so Shidou could be himself again.

But.

Reine never said exactly _who_ she would erase.

The possibility of having her best friend killing her big brother gave Kotori enough strength to speak again though with a trembling voice.

"…Reine, I'm begging you. Please, say it was just my stupid idea. Please, tell me you are not planning to…kill Shidou."

Reine pivoted on her chair to face Kotori with her usual expressionless face, playing with a pen.

"I am very sorry, but I can't do that. For me to be with Shin once again… Itsuka Shidou has to disappear."

"!"

"Please listen to me. I have something I want to tell you aside from that. A fair proposition, if I may say."

Kotori wanted to force herself to stay strong. To run away or to fight. But even for her, it was too much.

Her best friend, all this time, had used her.

No, to be exact, she had manipulated everyone.

If Reine was the one who created the Spirits, Shidou's particular power to seal them was probably also her doing.

To say that Ratatoskr was probably born because of her was not an exaggeration.

Reine's betrayal along with her intentions made Kotori lose her cool.

"I trusted you… all this time… now you tell me that you want to kill Shidou… and yet… you make me a _proposition?!_ "

Reine nodded.

This simple gesture gave Kotori the desire of jumping at her but she knew it would be useless.

Taking deep breath, Kotori forced to calm herself and think logically.

If Reine wanted to suppress her, she would've done it already. After all, if she was the same being that protected Shidou from Dàinslef, her power was incommensurable.

Any reckless act would result in an instant game over.

Kotori hardly looked at Reine, who was staring at her with sheer curiosity.

Suddenly, she realized something.

If Reine was the one to create the Spirits and to help Shidou sealing them… what was her objective?

They all knew that an incident like the Itsuka Disaster could occur again. No, to be precise, it was only a matter of time before such a thing would happen again.

A human body was simply not made to contain such an amount of reiryoku. Even if the pass was strong and renewed on a daily basis, it would still break or implode one day or another.

They didn't tell it to Shidou nor to the other Spirits – who all believed that it was now over – but they were actively looking for a solution.

Yes… what was Reine's objective?

As if she had just read Kotori's thoughts on her complexed face, Reine raised her voice:

"I see you are trying to solve the mystery. I will make it easier for you. My only, foolish goal is to be with Shin again. Forever."

Reine played with the stuffed bear that never left her breast pocket.

"As you know, Shin was killed by those DEM people, trying to protect me. At that time… I felt, for the first time of my life, bottomless despair."

"…"

"I loved Shin. I loved him but I did not realize it… until he was taken away from me. I almost lost my mind when it happened. But I forced myself to remain calm and to think, like you just did, Kotori. And I realized the core of the matter was not only the human fragility but also the fact that, one day or another, Shin would die."

Reine shook her head.

"That was unacceptable. So… I thought about it over and over and finally found a solution. I just had to give Shin the same powers I held. But… giving them all at once was impossible. It would've killed him. It took me some time, but I eventually built the perfect plan."

Kotori was listening in awe.

"All those years, I refined and purified the Sephira crystals in order to grant them to talented people asking for power. At the same time, because of my actions, Woodman would create Asgard Electronics, and then Ratatoskr. At this moment, I sadly had to abandon Shin, whom I had been raising for years after I gave birth to him again."

Reine looked truly sad when she said that.

"I then observed Woodman and joined the organization he built as soon as I could. I knew he would eventually find Shin. After Shin sealed you, it was clear that he would become Ratatoskr's asset. After all, his ability fitted perfectly the organization…"

Kotori had thought about it several times all these years.

Shidou was really a gift to Ratatoskr. As Reine just said, his ability to seal Spirits was the perfect tool for their organization.

Too perfect.

As if, yes, as if they had received divine help…

"I had troubles sometimes, but fortunately, Shin went through everything as I knew he would. Sealing the Spirits I created one by one and becoming brighter and brighter…"

"But why would you do that?!" Kotori interjected, unable to contain herself. "You know that Shidou cannot hold these powers! He's not a Spirit like us… he's a human! Do you wish to kill him?!"

"It looks like you did not double check the reports I submitted to you all this time."

"…"

"That's right" Reine nodded. "Why would you do that, after all? I'm the Chief Analysist here, your trusted friend. But you should've as a Commander, checked every file concerning the Spirits. Especially Shin's readings."

"Don't tell me…" Kotori whispered.

Reine took on her desk a digital tablet and handed it to Kotori.

"These are Shin's readings ever since he sealed you."

Kotori was shaking.

The readings indicated that all this time, Shidou possessed the same reiryoku as any Spirit.

It would've been normal since there was a bond between him and them, but it just looked like a Spirit's one.

Moreover, at certain points, the numbers increased suddenly to stabilize. A total of eleven times.

One of them had to be related to the Itsuka Disaster, but the other ten were…

"I think you guessed it by now. But each time Shin sealed one of you, he gained in latent power, even if he did not notice it himself."

"But… why does it look like… he absorbed our powers? I know that there is a bond between us… but these readings say that Shidou is stealing our power…" Kotori gasped.

"Half correct. There is indeed a pass that makes the reiryoku gradually distributed to Shin and you. But the true goal of this bond is not to seal the Spirits powers."

Reine pointed Shidou's readings.

"Slowly but surely, the reiryoku coming from you is transmitted to Shin. But not only that."

All of sudden, Kotori understood.

It was obvious, after all.

All this time, in order to save Shidou; they had been researching a way to extract the reiryoku inside him and turn it into a Sephira Crystal.

But Reine, at the contrary, had been doing the exact inverse.

"Bit by bit, your Sephira Crystals are being transferred to Shin. The process is almost done, as you can see, you can't even summon your Limited Astral Dress. Of course, it is because you are the first Spirit he sealed."

Kotori thought that Reine, or rather Mio, was using a trick to prevent her from summoning her Angel. She realized that she wasn't the culprit… Shidou, indirectly, was.

"And once the transfer is done, he will be almost the same as me. I will then erase Shidou. Then, Shin and I will be together forever."

* * *

Kotori was still trying to accept all these revelations.

From the very start, they had been Reine… no, Mio's puppets. However, Kotori could not resolve herself to call her by that name.

"So, now that you know all the details, Kotori, I have an offer to make."

Reine's expression was unchanged.

"Leave us alone. Let the things go on. Do not interfere. If you do, Shin and I will just go on our way without hurting anyone. Besides, the Spirits will lose their powers and will be able to live a normal life. I will personally erase those DEM people who dared to hurt Shin and Mana. Ratatoskr will have no more reason to exist and the world will get rid of the spacequakes."

"… to, leave you alone?"

"Yes. That is my only condition. It is a win-win situation, don't you think?"

Kotori closed her eyes.

She was feeling feverish.

She didn't want to consider it, however, her logic mind examined Reine's proposition.

Basically, she just had to let her be with her first love forever. It was only justice in a certain sense, since she had spent thirty years for the sake of her love.

Her quest could not be denied by Ratatoskr's morals and style.

Plus, she would then erase DEM Industries, the very sworn enemy of Ratatoskr. Kotori didn't want anyone to die but she also knew that Isaac Westcott would never let them in peace. Even if he did, that madman actions were far too dangerous for him to roam free.

And, on top of that, the Spirits' powers would definitely be sealed. They would never have anything to fear.

All it would take for that…

Would be to let Shidou die.

No, not to let him die.

To let Mio erase his very existence.

One life to save millions.

The same choice was submitted to Kotori once gain. The same choice she had to make when Shidou went berserk.

A world without DEM.

A world without spacequakes.

A world where the Spirits would not be Spirits anymore and would live in peace.

And a world without Shidou.

Kotori opened the eyes and looked at Reine firmly.

"…what if I refuse?"

"… if you refuse, in the end, the result will be the same. But… you will struggle in vain and suffer for nothing. I'm not a cruel one, Kotori. As much as possible, I don't want to hurt people, but if I have to, I will do it. That's why I'm asking you to cease your fight."

"Kuh…"

"I don't expect you to give me an answer now. But time is running out. If Ratatoskr is to lead a decisive battle with DEM, I will not stand still."

Suddenly, a ringtone echoed in the room.

Kotori noticed that it was her phone.

Reine nodded, and Kotori picked up.

"Yes."

_"Commander Itsuka?! Where are you?!"_

Kotori recognized the voice of "Deep Love" Minowa.

"Minowa, calm down. What on Earth is happening?"

_"Commander! Shidou… is gone!"_

"What?!"

It seemed that Reine also heard that as a light passed in her usually sleepy eyes.

"How is it possible? In his state, he should not… Wait, where are the other Spirits? Do they know?"

_"The Spirits are gathered in the control room! They were the ones to discover it and immediately came to warn us!"_

"Now of all times… Minowa! I'm coming!" Kotori said.

_"Yes!"_

Kotori hung up and stood there, stunned by the development of the events.

But for the sake of Shidou… for the sake of everyone, she once again took the role of the commander, putting aside her personal feelings.

She eventually turned her gaze toward Reine.

"… I think you will agree that right now, our priority is to find Shidou. Fighting now would be useless."

"Of course."

Reine stood up too.

"We'll pretend that nothing happened here when we get back in Fraxinus' main control room. We need to work hand in hand for now to find Shidou… But Reine…"

Reine tilted her head.

"I can't accept your… proposition."

Reine smiled sadly.

"I see. I expected as much but I wish I was wrong."

"Yes. I can't and I will find another solution. One that will grant us all a happy end. That is how we Ratatoskr do things" Kotori told her before leaving the room.

Reine's smile did not disappear.

She slowly shook her head.

"If a happy end was possible for everyone, I wouldn't have done all of that" she whispered to herself. "But you will learn it, Kotori."

She remembered the day Shin died.

"Sometimes, a story cannot have a happy end."

And Mio Takamiya also left the obscure room.


	8. Death

Shidou awoke once again in the infirmary, confused, hurting and desperate.

All of his memories were hazy, mixed, conflicted.

He felt, inside of him, the presence of the _other_ him, Shinji Takamiya.

This presence was hard to describe but he knew there was someone else in his mind.

Shidou was also feeling guilty because, as things were, he was only the continuation of Shinji Takamiya.

Another version of the boy who had died thirty years ago.

Shidou existed only because Shinji had been killed.

In other words, Shidou was not supposed to be alive.

But despite his guilt and this reasoning, Shidou could not let Shinji take over.

That was true. There was someone he cared enough to stay alive. Someone he wanted to…

_"…_ _**I also have someone I like. Someone I would give my life for. So please… I'm begging you… let me exist. Let me be with her."** _

A voice resonated in Shidou's head. A supplicating voice.

Shidou did his best to chase the voice and smiled wryly.

"…really…who am I?..." he whispered.

Shidou began to sink into a dark, cold despair.

(…I always wanted to help people. I always wished people to be happy… and now, I refuse to let go because of my selfish desire.)

He was thinking about the Spirits.

(All this time, I wanted to save them, but in the end, I brought them troubles… even now, they surely are worried because of me. When I think about it, I always hurt them while wanting to save them.)

His most traumatic memory was Nia's.

He had saved her, went through a tough battle at the Comico, did his best… and he saw her Inverse in front of him.

Nia's body covered with terrible injuries, her cries of pain and despair…

The pain she felt that day… when she was close to death…

Even if it was DEM's doing.

Even if sooner or later, they would have done it.

Shidou could not help but think that it was his fault.

(If only I did not meet her that day.)

That desperate and dangerous thought crossed his head. And because of that, Shidou came to the conclusion that…

The people he was close to would suffer.

Mana had been kidnapped by DEM.

Mio had been chased by DEM.

Kotori had been turned into a Spirit and suffered because of that.

Tohka had turned Inverse when DEM nearly killed him that day.

Origami killed her own parents.

Nia went through atrocious torture.

Mukuro almost turned Inverse when he tried to interpose between her and Inversed Tohka.

In the end, everything he brought them was a fake sentiment of peace and above all, suffering and despair.

Shidou came to the conclusion that he should just go away.

Away from the Spirits he wanted liked, not because he was a coward. He had to get away to protect them from himself.

After all, DEM was attracted by his ability to hold the Spirits powers and because, by hurting him, they would Inverse Tohka and the others.

There was still the risk of having them going Inverse if he were to disappear but… maybe, maybe Kotori would be able to keep their morale high.

Kotori would surely persuade them to search for him and that hope would prevent them from going Inverse.

Yes. It would be fine. So in the end, it was truly the best choice to get away.

Shidou tried to reassure and to persuade himself that he was taking the good decision.

With that in mind, Shidou left the room and, wobbling, he went through Fraxinus' corridors, hoping not to cross path with anyone.

Step by step, he eventually reached the teleportation module used only in emergency.

Shidou did not even chose the destination and activated it, disappearing.

The only thought in his head was that one.

(I need to get away.)

* * *

Kotori entered Fraxinus' main control room, shortly followed by Reine.

None of them let anything appear on their faces or their expressions.

All of the crewmembers were at their post, anxiously waiting for orders.

"Kotori!"

The Spirits exclaimed when they saw her and immediately surrounded her.

Mana was also present.

"Sorry for my late arrival. So, what happened exactly?"

Mana shook her head, swinging her ponytail and sighed.

"As a little sister, it is my duty…"

"Ooh, as expected of Imouto #2!" Nia exclaimed.

Mana did not even bulge.

"We talked about Nii-sama's past for a while… then, we left the room to eat a bit and to take a break" Mana began – ignoring Nia's chill when she said the words "Nii-sama" –.

"Muu… we wanted to get Shidou some food so he would feel better…" Tohka added, tears welling up in her eyes.

"But when we came back… Nii-sama was gone."

Mana's lips were trembling.

Kotori closed her eyes, praying for her brother's safety and for the events to come.

When opened the eyes again, a firm resolve had replaced her anxiety.

"Right. How long were you absent from Shidou's room?"

"I'd say… half an hour? Probably less…" Kaguya answered, her hand caressing her chin.

"Approbation. We did not leave Shidou that long" Yuzuru nodded.

"We left Shidou's room for twenty-three minutes and forty six seconds" Origami announced.

"Ermm… how do you know?..." Kaguya asked.

"Every time I am with Shidou, I turn on a timer. I do the same when I leave his side. So I can exactly know how much time I spend with and without him."

"Convenient" Miku admitted. "I should do the same!"

"…Scary…." Natsumi whispered. "Yoshino, please, do not become impure like them…"

"Err…"

Kotori took her place in her commander's chair and cracked open a Chupa-Chups.

"So, roughly twenty minutes. Shiizaki! Nakatsugawa! Check the cameras of the adjacent corridors of the infirmary these last twenty minutes! Find Shidou and the route he followed!"

"Copy that!"

It didn't take long to Fraxinus' crew to find where Shidou went.

"Commander! Shidou left the airship using the teleporter! Twelve minutes ago! Unknown destination!"

"I hoped he would still be aboard…" Kotori said with dejection.

"Commander…"

"What is it, Shiizaki?"

"… on the camera, Shidou looked… very dark. I don't think a word exists to describe his expression…"

"... Reine."

Kotori called her "best friend" with a neutral tone, doing her best to hide her feelings.

"Since Shidou possess a reiha signature, scan the city to find him."

"Roger. However, scanning the entire city will take some time due to Shin's particular signature. "

"Yes, that's why I want everyone to look for Shidou in Tenguu City. We will also deploy Yggdfoliums to locate him and everyone will be equipped with an Incam."

"Imouto-chan, isn't it… risky to spread like this, especially given DEM intentions?" Nia interjected.

"… the worst situation for us would be DEM noticing this ruckus and finding Shidou first. We have to take risks… and need to retrieve Shidou as soon as possible.

"True. Pardon me, but I have a last question. This whole thing with Boy is strange. After all, Origamin also has the memories of the other world, and yet, her two personalities coexist. Why is that?"

The other Spirits murmured in approbation while looking at Origami.

"The matter is not the same. Origami here has different memories and personalities, but they are fundamentally the same. The main thing that changed was the fact she knew her parents longer before losing them. Even if it had consequences, they were essentially good ones. Shin's case is entirely different as he has another name, another family and he even died. Thus, it is not possible for him to accept his other self, as doing so would be denying his existence" Reine explained.

"Mu… I don't quite get it…" Tohka said with uncertainty.

"You just have to consider that these are entirely different situations" Reine told her.

"Yes…we'll discuss it later if it's not clear for everyone. We must find Shidou first! Go now!" Kotori ordered.

"Yes!"

Although they all had the same question in mind, none of them asked it.

When they would find Shidou… what would they do next?

When the Spirits left the room, Kotori brushed her red hair while lightly grunting.

(What is going on?...)

One of the things that worried her the most here, apart from Shidou's whereabouts, was DEM absence.

Through Tokisaki Kurumi, DEM had warned them that they were about to go all out and take Shidou's life.

And yet, they hadn't detected any unusual activity.

DEM was nowhere to be seen. Even Kurumi hadn't reappeared. Why?

In such an occasion, at least one of them would've seized the opportunity to act...

Kotori accidentally chewed her Chupa-Chups, emitting a cracking.

"What on Earth is going on…"

* * *

Shidou was walking, oblivious to his environment, not even knowing where he was going. All of his senses were blurred.

So Shidou kept walking.

Walking, persuaded that by doing so, he was saving the others.

Walking away from his family, his friends.

Walking away from the one he loved.

* * *

Before leaving for the city, the Spirits concerted themselves to spread efficiently.

As looking randomly for Shidou would not be wise, they decided to concentrate their efforts on the areas they knew Shidou would occasionally go.

Maybe, following his unconscious, he would go to these places.

It went without saying that every Spirit hoped to be the one to find Shidou first.

Of course, because they wanted to save him, but to be honest, getting some private time with him would be great too, especially with so many competitors.

Even if Ratatoskr did their best so Shidou would spend the same time with all the Spirits, dividing his time (already limited because of school) like that did not grant them satisfaction.

Tohka and Origami headed for the park where Shidou kissed both of them for the first time.

Yoshino, Yoshinon went to the shrine where they met with Shidou, accompanied by Natsumi.

Kaguya and Yuzuru took the direction of the arcade where they saw Shidou for the first time.

Miku decided to go to the Tenguu Event Hall where Shidou first saw her singing.

Mukuro was to check the Itsuka household as well as the surroundings just in case.

Nia would aim for the shopping district where she ambushed Shidou.

All of them were equipped with Incams and a device that would allow Fraxinus' crew to quickly teleport them aboard if there was any nearby danger.

Kotori, Reine and Fraxinus' crewmembers would coordinate their movements and indicate them the next places to check to cover the largest possible zone.

* * *

Shidou eventually reached a deserted small park, probably because the sun was already setting down.

The children usually playing there were surely back home now, and there were still small constructions in the sandbox.

Only silence could be heard and the last sun shafts lighting the place were fading.

This beautiful sight however was in total contrast with Shidou's dark thoughts.

"… I was wrong."

Shidou voiced his emotions aloud, as nobody would hear him anyway.

"Running away… would not do any good. It would not save them. It would only satisfy this selfish me. Plus, DEM would still attack them to study them. My disappearance would only leave them this option…"

Shidou stumbled and fell on the ground, hazy.

He tried to get up but gave up and rolled on his back, looking at the cloudless sky, slowly taking a dark color.

"…."

Shidou, the eyes tired and the mouth opened, slowly breathed in and out.

He was desperately searching for a solution, but no matter how hard he thought, he could not find one that would bring a happy end to all of them.

The only, true solution was…

Death.

"… in the end, the only solution would be for me to die, right?..."

Maybe by dying… there was a chance that the Spirits powers he held would be gone with him.

The Spirits would become normal humans, freed from their condition.

DEM's objective would be reduced to ashes.

Yes, that was probably the best solution. The logical one.

For his friends and for the world.

But to Shinji and Shidou…

None of them wanted to die. None of them wanted to be separated from their loved ones.

The heart and the mind dilemma.

However, Shidou still had the upper hand for now.

He was still dominating his body and his mind, which meant, the decision was his to take.

Still, even if Shidou were to decide to kill himself, one problem remained.

"How am I supposed to kill myself?..."

The question was almost comical, for one reason.

Camael, originally Kotori's Angel, would heal almost all the injuries he could suffer or inflict to himself.

Shidou himself didn't know the limit of his regeneration ability. If his body was reduced to a bloody pulp by jumping from a cliff, would it still heal?

"… so what am I to do?... If I keep on living, I'll lose myself and lose the ones I love. If I run, the result will be the same, and I can't kill myself…"

Shidou stayed there, his back and arms laying on the ground.

Death was such a short word, and yet it engulfed so many things.

In the end, to die simply meant to disappear.

No matter what you were, what you were to become, you would simply disappear.

All of the details, all of the possibilities of your life would be gone. Your past, your present, your future, gone.

In fact, apprehending death was impossible under the human condition as too many of one's thinking was created by human themselves.

Death was simply the unknown and human feared the unknown.

You would not even notice that you were dead.

But the most frightening thing in death was that you would lose everything you cared for… everyone you loved.

Separated by an invisible and eternal boundary.

No, thinking about it twice, there was something even more frightening.

The living would mourn the dead, would be changed, but in the end…

They would forget.

They would forget one's death. And to forget one's death meant to forget the fact that they once lived.

In a certain sense, to be forgotten was worse than death.

"Ah…"

Shidou realized he was crying.

Warm tears were rolling on his cheeks and blurring his vision.

"I don't want to die…"

Shidou could not help but to sob.

When he realized there was probably no other solution than to die, Shidou understood he didn't want to die.

Because he loved someone and didn't want to leave that person's side forever.

* * *

One after another, the Spirits reported their failure.

Shidou was nowhere to be found.

Tenguu City's cameras were too many to give results instantly, and the dispatched Yggdfolium didn't fare better.

Kotori's worries were growing stronger.

"Everyone! If you can think of a place where my aho onii-chan would be, just go for it! If you don't, Reine will give you an area to search to maximize our efficiency!"

When Nia heard it, she turned off the sound of her Incam.

She just had visited the shopping district along with her own apartment, but it would've been too easy for Shidou to be there.

Nia sat on her bed invaded by books, closed her eyes then forced herself to relax and to enter her serious and focused mode.

She would enter that state when confronted to hard issues both in games and in her work.

Right now, their situation was quite bad because of several factors.

First, Shidou could cause a disaster anytime.

Second, another player, DEM, could join the party and lead to an open battle in the city.

Third, because of the two first points, they were urged and stressed by time.

They needed to find Shidou as soon as possible.

But through normal means, they obviously would not do it in time.

(That's right. We are thinking logically. We are looking for places Boy would go to… but Boy is not in his normal state. Which means, logical course of action is banned.)

Nia clicked her tongue in frustration.

Adding a random factor to the equation was worse.

But all of sudden, she had an idea.

(We don't need to find where Boy would go… We need to find where he is.)

Actually, they (the Spirits) were trying to anticipate Shidou's actions.

They took care of the "future" and left the "present" to the cameras and Yggdfoliums, machines.

(We need something that will allow us to know within an instant where Boy is…)

Nia opened her eyes and resolved herself.

* * *

"Nia…"

Shidou murmured the name.

The name of the one he loved.

It was totally illogic. Why was she the one he fell in love with, as his job was to make Spirits fall for him?

Nia was simply the one unfit for Shidou no matter how he looked at it.

First, she was at least twenty years older than him. Such a thing was simply illegal.

He had spent very little time with Nia, if compared with Tohka or even Origami.

Plus, beautiful girls wanting to go out with were abundant… and they had made it clear.

He could go out with the twin sisters Yamai, with the busty and innocent Tohka, with the idol Miku, or even the faithful Mukuro.

And yet, Shidou loved the older, flat chested, otaku Nia.

Was it because of her story?

No… all the Spirits he knew shared a similar story, where they ceased to believe in humans, or simply avoided them.

Then, maybe it was because Nia was simply Nia.

Nia was a hard working author, a devoted otaku, proudly claiming her passions.

Nia was craving for friendship after all these years alone.

Nia's body and features, despite being modest, were cute and seductive.

Nia liked to tease Shidou but often acted flustered when he would answer to her, and that was also cute.

Nia was one of the only people he could make manga references with.

Nia would always make him laugh and yell with her tsukkomis.

Yes, Shidou loved Nia for all of that.

(So this is love…)

He made fall for him so many girls, and yet, he had to experience it.

Love.

That hurting yet wonderful feeling that would seize your heart.

That will of being with someone for the rest of your life, something you would never entirely understand.

The heart and the mind.

Shidou laughed bitterly and straightened himself, sitting on the dusty ground.

"All this time… I did not confess, because I was afraid of hurting her if I were to die…"

Shidou made a wry smile.

"But now…even if it's selfish… I'd like her to know what I felt for her…"

At this moment.

Shidou heard precipitated footsteps. Still lying on the dusty ground of the park, he turned his head toward the noises.

And, coming from a lateral street, in his line of sight.

Nia appeared, breathing hard, sweating, her red pair of glasses awry.

She was lightly dressed with only a blazer, a jean and it only served to accentuate her delicate features.

Shidou doubted his eyes.

"Nia?..."

* * *

Nia froze when Shidou called her name but she immediately ran to him.

"Boy! Are you alright?!"

"Ah… I…" Shidou tried to speak, but he was too confused to form proper sentences.

Nia kneeled down and quickly took his hand, checking his pulse, panicked.

"Boy…! Please, don't die on me like that… I didn't reach yet the resurrection tier magic… You're the main character, you're not supposed to die first…"

Nia was spouting her usual references but was at the same time crying, proof of her real concern.

"Nia… please stop…"

"How do you want me to stop?! I won't let you die here, okay?! I will carry you even with this thin body of mine, and we will find a way to save you… like… we… always do…"

"I'm ok…"

"DON'T SAY THAT! THAT'S WHAT EVERY CHARACTER ABOUT TO DIE SAYS!"

"… haha."

Despite his depressed and confused state, Shidou couldn't help but laugh.

Yes. Nia would always make him either laugh or shout.

"Don't laugh!" Nia shouted.

A short moment later, she seemed to somewhat calm down and realized that Shidou was not on the verge of death.

She gave Shidou a hand and supported him to get him up.

"…. Boy. Why did you run away?..." Nia asked, face to face, her spiky hair all messed up.

As if to match the change of mood her words brought, a cold wind blew on the deserted park.

"… because, it's better that way."

"What are you saying…"

Shidou gave her a sad smile.

"I just noticed that… everyone close to me gets hurt. I want to save people but I only bring them a fake feeling of safety and despair. And now… I don't even know who I really am."

"Boy…"

Nia's eyes flashed.

And she slapped Shidou.

Taken aback, Shidou stepped back, holding his already reddening cheek.

When he looked at Nia, he was even more surprised.

Nia was trembling, her hand still raised.

Her icy blue eyes were filled with tears of anger.

"How dare you …"

"Nia?..."

"How can you say that you brought us… that you brought me… despair…"

Nia's tears were overflowing and she was emanating pure anger and sadness.

Unable to contain herself, she slapped Shidou again, so violently that he fell down on his butt.

"Ugh!"

Nia didn't stop there and jumped on Shidou, grabbing him by his shoulder, pushing him down so his back hit the ground once again.

She was holding Shidou with so much strength that his shoulders were hurting.

He did not recognize her.

"How can you even think… that you are only hurting us?" Nia cried, holding and hitting Shidou at the same time.

"… because… that's the truth…" Shidou calmly muttered, in contrast with Nia's state.

"SHUT UP!"

Nia forced Shidou to look at her.

Her tears were dripping on his face. Her voice, usually so playful, was hoarse.

The dying sun shafts lit her crying face.

"Whatever you're thinking… you're wrong!"

Shidou could not take his eyes off Nia.

"Because… you…"

Nia swallowed.

"You saved me!"

"!"

"You saved me… who could not trust people… afraid of being betrayed and hurt… me, who rejected your attempt and did not even consider you as a true person… Me, who was not as pure as the girls you saved before…"

Nia was still sobbing and yet, she did not let go of Shidou.

The daylight died as the same time as Nia's anger and the atmosphere suddenly became cold.

"You didn't care… you just gave me a chance… and you saved me… so please… don't say that you only bring us despair…"

"I…"

"Please… Don't leave..."

Nia was begging Shidou.

"I don't care if someone else is trapped in your body… I don't care if you died once… you are just yourself… So please, stay with us… stay with me… We'll find a solution like we always do…"

It was the first time Shidou ever saw her like this.

"I'll do everything… I'll save you, no matter what it takes. Even if you're about to die, to disappear, I'll save you. I'll be your raison d'etre. Because…"

Nia hesitated for an instant.

"I love you… _Shidou._ "

"!"

Nia's words and feelings reached Shidou's heart.

Something unlocked inside of him.

As… yes, he knew Nia had feelings for him.

But, to hear her confession.

At a moment like this.

An unknown emotion invaded him.

And finally, he sighed.

"You're wrong, Nia…"

"Wha…"

"… _you_ saved me…"

"Boy…"

"Haha…calling me Boy again. But… I like when you do it. No…"

Shidou smiled.

"I love you too, Nia."

Shidou's straight answer, added to their current position –where a passant could've believed Nia was aggressing Shidou– made Nia's heart flutter.

"Ah…ah… I just…"

Nia released Shidou and, on her knees, grabbed her head with her hands, so ashamed she could die.

"Ahhhh… I did it… I did it for real…" she gasped, redder than her pair of glasses.

Shidou somehow felt… good, something that hadn't happened for days.

He tried to get up but had to gave up and just sat.

"Nia…"

"… what…"

"Did you mean it?"

Nia turned back and approached Shidou, still red.

"…of course I did, idiot…"

Shidou would not tell her but he really found Nia cute when she behaved like that.

"I meant… all of it. I will save you… with the help of everyone. I am not the only one worried. Imagine what would happen if you were to disappear suddenly…"

"… I thought that, by going away… I would protect you. But… Nia… You made me realize that… I was wrong. Even if, someday, I disappear to let my place to Shinji… I should not give up. I should not run away."

"Eh?

"Yes… because I would be away from you, and that would surely be unbearable for me."

"?!"

Nia could not believe her ears.

Shidou was the first one to get flustered whenever a girl would come close to him.

So, for him to speak like that?

"Oi, Boy…Are you feeling alright? The Boy I know would never… say these things…"

Shidou seemed to realize what she meant and suddenly, became red too.

"Ah, err, I…"

The truth was, his extreme fatigue, his confusion, and his previous dark thoughts had put him in a secondary state where he would let out his real thoughts.

Both of them stayed here, not able to say anything.

Eventually, Nia broke the silence.

"Well… we should head back to Fraxinus. The others are still looking for you… and we have to find a solution concerning your schizophrenia."

"I'm not a schizophrenic!"

"How do you want me to call it…"

"… you got a point here."

Shidou suddenly felt guilty for causing the others so much trouble. Given Tohka's proportion to go berserk without having him close, he felt a chill running down his spine when he imagined how Kotori would scold him later.

Both of them get up when Shidou tilted his head.

"But… Nia… how did you find me?"

"…"

Nia looked away, slightly embarrassed.

"… I used Rasiel."

Rasiel was Nia's angel and would was like a super search engine, allowing her to know everything she wanted to find out.

However, since her sealing by Shidou and Westcott stealing her Qlipha crystal, her capacities were very limited.

"But how is it… how could you?..."

Nia was now as red as could be.

"…because at that time, I wished with all my heart to find you… and Rasiel answered me…"

"…ah…"

Nia's answer also made Shidou embarrassed.

"…Why are you reacting like that?! You asked me first!" Nia protested.

"Yes, but… it's…"

"Aaah stop! Don't say anything!" Nia pouted. "But…"

She offered Shidou a gentle smile.

Her face as still red and wet with tears but it only served to magnify her beauty.

"Let's go back… together, alright?"

Her smile caused Shidou's heart to go doki and it took him several seconds to reply.

"Ah… Yes–"

Shidou suddenly stopped, looking around nervously.

"Hm? What is it, Boy?" Nia asked.

"Err… I have the feeling of being watched…"

"So your also leveled up your Detection slot skill! Impressive!"

"Well… I don't know but…"

Shidou smiled at Nia and glared at his surroundings, but there was nothing out of ordinary.

The streets were desert and calm, only the distant sounds of circulation could be faintly heard. They were alone.

Shidou shrugged and looked back at Nia who was waiting for him.

"It must be my imagination…"

However.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––!

Shidou heard a curious sound, almost a whistling. It didn't last more than a second, but that was the sound of something fending off the air.

"!"

Shidou's eyes widened and he felt a terrible sensation.

Something wet was dripping.

"…B-boy…"

"…Eh?..."

Blood stained Shidou's face and body, slowly watering the dusty ground of the park.


	9. Fine

"…B-boy…"

"…Eh?..."

Shidou's throat produced a weak gasp when Nia called him.

He could not believe his eyes and his brain refused to accept the scene in front of him.

Shidou was covered with blood.

Nia's blood.

Nia had been pierced by some sort of spear.

Shidou did not even need to look at the wound to know it was a deadly one. The blood splattered all around was enough of a proof.

"B–urgh…"

Nia's attempt to call Shidou again failed as blood came out her mouth. Her pale face was tetanized.

Nia's hands, trembling, weakly gripped the spear but as soon as she did, the spear suddenly took off with a disgusting noise, causing Nia to moan in pain.

"Aaaah...!"

The spear disappeared from Shidou's vision.

Paralyzed, he could only see Nia, severely injured, in front of him.

Nia looked at her hands covered with blood, confused, staggered and fell on her knees.

Before she could hit the ground, Shidou's body reacted on its own.

Shidou found himself holding Nia in his arms, on the ground.

He had not been hit and yet, his chest was so compressed it seemed crushed by a hammer.

Shidou's breathing became harder.

Unable to speak, he looked at Nia's face and realized she was doing the same for him.

Her face was so white that it was frightening. And yet, as it magnified her icy blue eyes, she was still beautiful.

Beautiful despite the unbearable sight of her wound, despite her lips stained with blood.

Nia was not very thick, but at this moment, Shidou felt how much she was fragile.

Fragile was not the right word.

Nia was about to die.

And, unlike Shidou, she could not heal. She did not have Camael's regeneration ability.

Time slowed down as Shidou tried to find a solution to save Nia. All of his brain cells were focused on that sole task.

Was it possible to give her Camael's flames? Perhaps but he didn't know how to do it.

Carrying her back to Fraxinus, in order to heal her in a medical Realizer? She would bleed to death before he could reach the airship.

Open a gate with Michael to teleport them aboard? No, he didn't even know where the airship was.

Freeze Nia with Zadkiel to gain some time? No, he did not master the Angel enough to do it precisely and risked to kill her.

(Think. Think. Think!)

The solution came to him after a few intense seconds.

"Haniel…"

Shidou summoned Natsumi's Angel to close the atrocious wound, stopping the bleeding. He had used that before when Mukuro had unintentionally stabbed him with Michael.

All he could do was that, he could not totally heal Nia but hoped it would be enough until Ratatoskr would give her a proper medical care.

Yes. He had to hurry and contact Kotori so Fraxinus could pick them up.

Shidou, obsessed by his will of saving Nia, had even forgotten that someone had attacked them.

The only thing that mattered now was to save Nia.

"N-Nia, I'll…"

Whatever Shidou planned to say, he did not finish his sentence.

Nia was smiling, despite her state.

Her eyes were feverish, drops of sweat on her forehead.

"Shi…dou."

When she called his name, Shidou shuddered.

Her voice was quiet.

"It's… fine."

And Nia silently closed her eyes.

Her voice no longer reaching out was now quietly smiling.

* * *

"…Nia?..."

Shidou's call echoed in the empty park, remaining unanswered.

Knowing the meaning of this, Shidou tried to deny everything that had happened within the minutes, to melt these moments into an untruth.

(Nia… it can't…)

Shidou's thoughts were beyond confusion and astonishment.

The person he loved and whom loved him too.

(Nia… I?...)

With whom he shared a true, genuine love.

(I couldn't save you?...)

Nia, who persuaded him that he could live, that he deserved to live despite his condition.

(Nia…)

That they would find a way together.

That they would _be_ together.

(Nia. Nia. Nia.)

Nia was gone.

An unknown feeling seized Shidou. It was the first time he experienced something like that.

Anger. Powerlessness. Sadness. Grief.

Shidou's thoughts grew darker and darker.

**(I simply wanted to go on living with you.)**

If one could have described Shidou's feeling at this moment with words, it would have been…

**(A world without you in it…)**

Bottomless despair.

(… **wouldn't be worth anything.)**

Shidou's consciousness suddenly vanished.

A dark cyclone surrounded him, consisting of reiryoku and the darkest emotions that could exist.

Only looking at him would have sufficed to frighten anyone.

Compared to the Itsuka Disaster, Shidou was not brimming with Spirit power. At that time, it looked like he was wearing an Astral Dress made of pure light.

The actual Shidou was drowned in an obscure mass of negative emotions and unleashed reiryoku.

Yes, it was like the exact inverse of his form during the Itsuka Disaster.

As unbelievable as it could be, Itsuka Shidou had Inversed

* * *

Aboard Fraxinus, Kotori and the others had been able to witness all the scene thanks to the Yggdfolium following Nia and her Incam.

Nia had turned off her Incam to focus, but only the audio communication. If she could not hear the crewmembers, they could still hear her.

Kotori couldn't help but feel her heart hurt when Nia and Shidou confessed their mutual love. Even if she was happy for her brother, she…

But, cutting through her jealousy, something unbelievable happened on the screen.

Nia was transpierced by a spear-like device.

The scene was so surrealist that all Fraxinus' crewmembers remained paralyzed.

Kotori immediately understood.

(DEM!...)

She was the first to react.

"Bring them back here! Teleport them aboard!" she yelled.

They had deployed Yggdfolium, these mini-satellites equipped with Realizers to retrieve any Spirit (or Shidou) if they were to get in trouble.

She could've ordered it as soon as Nia found Shidou, but she felt at this moment that it would've been better to let them be, which proved to be right.

But now was not the time.

If Nia was not treated quickly…

"What are you waiting for?! Active Yggdfolium's Realizer and bring them back!"

"It's… It's impossible, Commander!" Shiizaki gasped. "We…"

"What?!"

"The Yggdfolium's Realizer is obstructed by another Realizer. The latter is stronger and thus cancels our own" Reine explained, opening multiple windows on her screen. "The video is still on but that is all."

"…It can only be…"

"Commander! Realizer's activity detected! Near Shidou and Nia's position… the signature is… Ellen Mathers'!"

"Kuh!"

The world strongest wizard, Ellen Mira Mathers. She was under the orders of Isaac Westcott and served as his right arm.

(We have to stop them now or Shidou will either die or be captured… But… we won't make it in time and if we throw the Spirits in the battle, we will probably do what DEM expects us to do. If only Mana was close by…)

Kotori was trying to find a way out of this mess when something attracted her attention.

(Wait. All of this means DEM foresaw our actions… But… why didn't they act sooner?)

If DEM knew that the Spirits were alone in Tenguu City and if they had the means to prevent Ratatoskr from teleporting them back, why didn't they simply snatch them?

And why did Ellen Mathers miss Shidou? After all, it was their plan, right? To kill Shidou to Inverse all of the Spirits…

Kurumi had told them that…

Kotori glared at the screen.

Shidou was still holding Nia's body.

During that short time, Ellen Mathers, even if she did miss her first attack, would've been able to launch another one.

Yet, she did not.

_(…_ _if she doesn't attack… does it mean, Nia was their target?..._ _But why…)_

" _…Kotori. Alert._ "

Maria's voice warned Kotori.

"Maria?"

" _I have detected a change in Shidou's reiha._ "

Kotori held her breath. A change?

The simple fact that Shidou possessed a reiha signature was incredible itself but a change was…

" _As impossible as it sounds… Negative values are confirmed. The reiryoku's nature is also the same, and increasing at an alarming rate. This phenomenon meets all the criteria of…_ "

"Don't tell me… Inverse form…"

" _Yes. It seems… Shidou is Inversing._ "

The entire control room became silent at Maria's statement, as, in Tenguu City, the spacequake alarm resonated, calling people to take cover in the shelters.

Inversing was impossible for a human. After all, humans didn't possess reiryoku to begin with.

Only the Spirits could Inverse. That was what they all thought, excepted Kotori.

All the pieces suddenly fell in place.

Reine's explanation about their Sephira Crystals being slowly transferred and built up inside Shidou's body.

The Inverse Form.

DEM's intentions.

Kotori was shaking in fear now, despite her commander ribbons, despite her composure.

They had been manipulated from the very beginning of this so-called declaration of war.

"No… No… SHIDOU!"

Kotori's cry could not change anything and it did not.

* * *

_**? days ago.** _

_**Location: unknown DEM's facility, Westcott's office.** _

"Ah, Ellen, Artemisia. I was waiting for you."

Isaac Westcott, sat in a comfortable chair at his desk, was smiling. His hands were laying on the wooden surface but he seemed genuinely impatient.

"Isaac" Ellen saluted while Artemisia only nodded.

The two strongest wizards of the world were standing straight in front of Westcott. The room was dim, and it only served to magnify the light in Westcott's eyes.

"No need to be so tense. I convoked you to expose our next and finale move to finally take what is rightfully ours."

He smiled, grinning like a child at Christmas's Eve.

"As you may know, Itsuka Shidou has managed so far to successfully seal ten Spirits. In all these years, we did not detect another, and my researches with Beelzebub confirmed me that the only remaining ones are Nightmare and the First Spirit."

Westcott had stolen Nia's Qlipha Crystal, allowing him to use a different yet as powerful version of Rasiel, the omniscient book Angel.

Despite Nia's partial jamming, Westcott was able to find all the information he needed, it just took him more time.

"Mh. So… are we to strike and kill Itsuka Shidou? Given his relation with the other Spirits, there is a high chance that they will Inverse. Taking advantage of the chaos, subduing them would be easy" Ellen said, reasoning as a military.

"I thought of that plan. But I discovered something interesting" Westcott answered, his smile larger than before.

Ellen frowned and Artemisia yawned.

"Knowing you enemies gives you a big advantage and on top of that, it is very fun to see what they are up to. So, I searched Itsuka Shidou's daily life and I found out recently that… One of the Spirits loves him."

Ellen clicked her tongue.

"Of course. It's _his job_ to make them fall for him!"

"I am not done. The best thing is… it appears Itsuka Shidou also loves her in return. That is the first time such a thing is happening."

After a brief silent, Artemisia tilted her head.

"Well... it is only normal. Human males do have needs to satisfy."

"… don't say that so lightly!" Ellen protested.

"Perhaps his main objective is reproduction. In ancient times, people built themselves harems to assure the continuation of their lineage."

"Why, you…"

Westcott waited for their quarrel to end and spoke.

"This reciprocal love creates new possibilities for us. As you know, one is easier to break if they hold something dear."

"So, do we kill Itsuka Shidou so that Spirit can Inverse? Not that it would change anything, the others will Inverse as well…"

"Negative. The Spirit in question is Material A, Sister. She cannot Inverse anymore."

"So what?!" Ellen growled, impatient.

Westcott crossed his legs and straightened his back.

"Ellen, why can Itsuka Shidou use the Spirits' powers?" he asked casually.

"What?"

Ellen, taken aback, frowned.

"Because he sealed them, right?" she then answered, knowing that Westcott would not back down with his games.

Westcott's smile widened. He was truly enjoying this.

"What exactly is a seal? How does it work?"

"Well… by… kissing them, he creates a bond so the reiryoku circulates between them. The Spirits are deprived of most of their powers."

"And does it seem logic to you?"

"No, I don't understand why he has to kiss them…"

Westcott chuckled.

"True, but I was not talking about that."

"Eh?"

"If we follow what you just said, it means that by having a Spirit's reiryoku, one would be able to use their powers and even their Angel."

"Yes."

" _That_ is really illogic. Because, we tried all these years to use Sister's Angel and did not success. Using her reiryoku did not give any result. So, why is Itsuka Shidou able to do so?"

"…"

Ellen was thinking.

What Isaac said was true. Even if Itsuka Shidou's body welcomed the reiryoku of the Spirits, it was not enough to allow him to use their Angels.

As for example, even if Ellen was to give her reiryoku to someone else, he or she would not be able to deploy the same abilities as her with a Realizer.

Yes, what gave their powers to the Spirits were their Sephira –or Qlipha– Crystals. And Itsuka Shidou didn't have—.

Ellen stood there, aghast, when an idea, an absurd idea, crossed her mind.

She looked at Westcott with an incredulous face.

Westcott seemed to notice that Ellen had understood and was displaying a large grin.

"Don't tell me… Itsuka Shidou steals their Sephira Crystals?!"

"Right on the mark, Ellen. Congratulations. That is the conclusion I reached too. Through the bond he has with them, Itsuka Shidou slowly steals not only their reiryoku but also their Sephira Crystals. It would explain why he's growing stronger and why his ability to use the Angel also increases. I searched this information with Beelzebub but there was nothing. As if someone didn't want anyone to find it out..."

Ellen, who knew Westcott very well, guessed his next intention.

"And I suppose, you want to check that if Itsuka Shidou possesses Sephira Crystals, he can Inverse, right?"

Westcott clapped his hands slowly.

"Absolutely. And we will do that by killing in front of him the one he loves. With the appropriate timing, it would be enough to make him taste _bottomless despair._ "

Ellen was caressing her chin.

"And once he Inverses?"

"Simple. We will throw all of our forces to kill him and recover the Qlipha Crystals."

Westcott laughed.

"We have absolutely nothing to lose here. If Itsuka Shidou can Inverse, we will apply that plan. If he cannot, we will simply kill him as we originally planned and that way, the other Spirits will Inverse. Even Elliott and Ratatoskr will have to make a choice, by letting us killing Itsuka Shidou or to kill him themselves."

"That's true. Plus, they won't expect us to target Sister. She's the useless one of their group as for now. They will protect in priority Itsuka Shidou, not her."

"As expected of you, Ellen."

Westcott stood up.

"Of course, it will require a lot of preparations and discretion. I know that Nightmare is always spying on us, but we can use that to our advantage. Leaking false information, for example. Let's get to work."

* * *

_**Present time** _ _,_ _**inside Fraxinus' control room** _

"Commander! Warships incoming from all the directions, surrounding Tenguu City!" Shiizaki gasped.

Kotori, still stunned by DEM's plot and Shidou's Inversion, took some time to answer.

"How many?!"

"Total, thirty!"

"It seems they are deploying Bandersnatch units! All of them are converging towards Shidou!" Minowa said.

DEM's plan was so clear now.

Causing Shidou to Inverse was only the first step.

Now, they simply had to kill him.

Kotori tried to calmly analyze the situation.

From what Reine had told her, the Spirits could barely use their Limited Astral Dresses.

Shidou was downtown, Inversing, and only god knew what would happen.

DEM was launching their all out attack now in order to kill Shidou.

Nia was dying, and could not be retrieved.

Their own ship, Fraxinus, would not be able to beat an entire fleet by itself, despite its crew's skills.

(What…am I to do?... What can I... do?)


	10. Despair

On Kotori's orders, all the Spirits searching Tenguu City for Shidou had been teleported back aboard Fraxinus.

All of them, including Kotori were now staring at Fraxinus' multiple surveillance screens showing the chaos reigning over Tenguu City.

Because of the spacequake alarm, people were running in the streets for the closest shelters.

DEM's entire fleet, thirty ships strong, was deploying in the sky, surrounding Shidou's position. Thousands of Bandersnatch units could be seen, slowly deploying.

And… the worst, in all of this, was probably Shidou.

Due to DEM's scheme, Shidou had Inversed, becoming unrecognizable. A fantastic yet frightening aura of negative reyrioku was surrounding him.

Shidou himself was nothing more now than a shadow, a dark silhouette, filled with only wrath, despair and grief.

The Spirits, and everyone aboard Fraxinus, were stunned.

Shidou, whom they knew and had deep affection for, was a kind, gentle person. He would always help the others and wryly smile at the daily problems.

Shidou was easily flustered, not particularly "manly", but he had a strong will.

Yes, Shidou was just that person and every Spirit had been touched by his kindness.

So, to think the always gentle Shidou had become the thing they were monitoring…

"Shidou…"

"Shidou-san…"

"Darling…"

"Nushi-sama…"

Kotori was doing her best to find a way out of this mess. With that situation, what course of action would lead them to a happy ending?...

"Commander! Ellen Mathers seems to temporarily withdraw! Her Realizer is no longer blocking ours!" Mikimoto shouted. "Wait… it seems… Nia is still alive!"

"!"

Kotori held her breathe when she heard that information.

(Maybe…)

Shidou's source of despair was the apparent death of Nia.

If they could save Nia and somehow show Shidou that she was still alive… one way or another… If they could bring Nia to kiss Shidou, as Shidou had kissed the Inversed Tohka…

(If… if… that's a lot of if but we don't have a choice here... )

"Bring back Nia at once! Transfer her to the medical Realizer as soon as possible! We need her!"

"Yes!"

On the screen displaying Nia's body lying on the ground, a light appeared, signal of the Fraxinus teleportation device activating.

"Shiizaki, Minowa! Bring her to the infirmary, and treat her wounds in the medical Realizer! I want her on her feet the sooner the better!"

The two female crewmembers left the bridge in a hurry.

Kotori did not send Reine as she did not entirely trust her, however, nobody questioned her decision.

"And now, what are we to do…" Kotori muttered for herself.

"Commander! The Bandersnatch units are attacking Shidou!"

"DEM!..." Kotori growled.

(We can't step in like this… if we do, we'll be annihilated!)

Kotori was trying to think of a plan, anything…

Once again, they all fell silent, observing the video screen. Hundreds, thousands of robots were falling down like a pouring rain, all of them aiming at Shidou.

The latter, who was until now immobile, raised his head slowly.

The scene was surreal and looked like a movie.

Mecha units rushing a boy emanating an aura, in a deserted square.

However, as the first Bandersnatch was about to raise its claw to tear Shidou apart.

Without even lifting a finger nor blinking, Shidou riposted.

A torrent, a shockwave of reiryoku was unleashed, like a dark sphere around Shidou, annihilating hundreds of Bandersnatch units at once, devastating the adjacent streets, digging a giant hole in the middle of the town.

It was just like a spacequake.

However, it didn't stop there.

More and more Bandersnatch came to Shidou who destroyed them the same way, blasting reiryoku charges and shaking earth.

Meanwhile, DEM's fleet was slowly taking position, surely to provide a heavy artillery support.

But before they could open fire.

_"Ki, hi hi hi."_

_"Do you really think_ we _will let you do so?"_

_"Come."_

A multitude of Kurumi's clones, the Worst Spirit, suddenly surrounded DEM airships and immediately started to attack them.

Obviously, Kurumi had decided to fully take part in the battle. It was probable that she didn't expect this either but was reacting accordingly.

The Wizards and Bandersnatch escorting the airships riposted, supported by the automatic cannons, and soon, the sky looked like a giant fireworks party.

As the majority of the Bandersnatch units were engaged against Shidou, Kurumi held the numerical advantage, even if DEM's firepower was making things even.

In Fraxinus main control room, the tide of the events decided Kotori.

"Everyone… even everything seems against us…"

Kotori spoke with a low voice to the Spirits who looked at her with perplexed faces.

"For my baka Onii-chan's sake…will you lend me your strength?"

There was no need to ask.

"OUUUU!" the Spirits roared.

**"Yes, I agree with your decision, Commander Itsuka."**

A familiar voice resonated in the control room, and soon, the image of Elliot Woodman appeared on one of the screens.

"Pardon our lateness. Thanks to everyone, we managed to achieve the preparations in time."

On the other screens, four warships in finger four formation appeared in the sky and broke DEM's encirclement. It was Ratatoskr's fleet.

"We will provide as much support as we can" Woodman said. "However, you alone possess the key to put an end to all of this. We will give you time to elaborate a plan. Good luck, everyone."

The transmission ended and was soon replaced by distant explosions sounds.

* * *

Elliot Woodman, as always in his wheelchair, was standing in a similar control room as Fraxinus.

Since he was aboard Ulmus, Fraxinus' sister ship, it was not surprising.

He along with the rest of Ratatoskr's personnel had mobilized all their strength and fleet to come and help Shidou and the others when word came that DEM had attacked earlier than expected.

However, Itsuka Shidou Inversing was not part of his predictions. Still, it did not mean that they would give up.

That was simply not Ratatoskr's style.

Elliot Woodman didn't want anyone to die, be it friends or enemies. Of course he knew that in a war, casualties were inevitable but he preferred to avoid killing as much as possible.

And yet sacrificing his own life for the others did not bother him at all.

With his right hand, he pulled off a sort of golden dog tag out of his collar.

It was the device containing Wodan, Ratatoskr's ultimate CR-Unit.

A golden armor that could only be activated and used by a pure Wizard like Woodman. So powerful that it allowed him, through the Realizer, to return his body back to his prime, making him the strongest Wizard of the world.

However, the downside of this trump card was that using it would consume Woodman's lifespan at an alarming rate.

He had used it once against Westcott when the latter had raided their secret base. Using it again would be the end of him.

"Elliot. Our breakthrough confused DEM's warships but not for long" Karen Mathers said.

She was standing at his side and was looking at him playing with his dog tag with a calm yet slightly worried face.

Woodman raised his eyes, looking at the battlefield calmly.

Karen's statement was also a question concerning their next move.

"It's no use, Karen. He will surely come, whatever we do. He's just like that."

Woodman reported his attention on the monitors.

Down there, Shidou was still fighting the endless waves of Bandersnatch units.

That fact alone was intriguing. One could have thought that DEM's strategy was to slowly wear out Shidou but considering the almost endless source of reiryoku he now possessed, it seemed pointless.

The four warships brought by Woodman were valiantly fighting DEM's fleet, benefitting the effect of surprise, but they were outnumbered.

Even if the Worst Spirit, Tokisaki Kurumi, was also fighting DEM, Elliot noticed that she was now too busy fighting Ellen and Artemisia, whom had been sent against her.

In that configuration, victory was unattainable through military power only. At best, they would buy time.

It was part of Woodman intentions however to attract and distract DEM, while Kotori and the others would come up with a plan to save Shidou.

All of sudden, multiple alarms resounded on Ulmus' bridge.

An explosion occurred, spreading fire and smoke in the entire room.

Neither Elliot nor Karen did bulge.

"All personnel evacuate the bridge now. Don't leave anyone behind" Elliot calmly ordered, as technicians and crewmembers obeyed in a hurry.

From the cloud of dust emerged one familiar, smirking silhouette. He was coming earlier than Elliot expected.

"Hello, Elliot, Karen. How have you been since last time?" Isaac Westcott said with a broad smile.

"Hello, Ike. As always, you do have a taste for theatrical introductions. Next time, may I ask you to use the teleporter or the door like everyone? Our technicians are tired of repairing walls because of your rude manners."

"Yaaah, sorry about that" Westcott jested. "I just cannot contain my joy in these situations."

"Heavens above, you never change. So, why did you come here? You claimed last time that you did not want to kill us and you know we will not go back to DEM."

Woodman's tone was calm but his gaze was sharp. The only sound that could be heard aside from their talk was Ulmus's alarms signaling a breach in the airship's wall along with the distant gunshots and explosions.

"Well, since everything is going according to my plan, I thought I could just kill some time and hold you off" Westcott admitted.

"Hold me off" Woodman repeated, cocking an eyebrow. "You seem to think that I am the greatest obstacle to your scheme."

"Consider this as a gage of my esteem for you."

"I am flattered. But you are wrong, Ike. However, since it is also in my interest to have you here… Shall we begin?"

In response, Westcott smirked and summoned his Demon King, Beelzebub.

"Karen. Step back. Replace me here."

"…it's not like I could stop you, Elliot… You're a cruel one."

Karen sighed, then walked away slowly. She knew what Elliot meant.

It was not easy to give up on the man she loved… yet, she could not afford to choose her feelings over their mission.

Woodman smiled wryly, his golden dog tag still in hand.

He hardly get up, and a bright light illuminated the bridge accompanied by a powerful reiryoku impulse.

In place of the quite aged man who had difficulties even to stand up was now a sneering young man with blond hair, clad in a golden armor.

"Here I come, Ike!"

* * *

In this tragedy, the saddest thing was, when Nia told Shidou that it was fine, she truly meant it.

She was badly hurt, but Shidou's efforts to cover up the wound saved her. Nia was simply trying to tell him that she would be ok.

But because this effort caused her to collapse, Shidou believed that she died in his arms.

As Nia was under treatment in the medical Realizer, she was having a dream.

No, a rather than a dream, it was a memory.

A memory of her and Shidou playing together on a console.

It had to be the night of the Komiket.

Nia had the feeling that this moment was very, very important to her.

And yet, she could not remember the words they exchanged then.

However, it seemed that there was, at that time…

A promise.

* * *

On Fraxinus' orders, Ratatoskr's ground defenses had been activated. Multiples cannons and sentry guns had emerged from roofs and multiples buildings and were firing at will.

Their massive barrage was restraining the movements of several DEM's airships as well as destroying entire bunches of Bandersnatch.

Kurumi's clones as well as Ratatoskr fleet and ground support were containing DEM's airships as well as Ellen Mathers and Artemisia Ashcroft.

Westcott and Woodman were fighting aboard Ulmus. Karen Mathers had evacuated and was currently managing the rest of the fleet's coordination.

Shidou was at hand with the endless Bandersnatch waves.

The battle was for now stalling but it was obvious that DEM, possessing a formidable numerical advantage, would win against Ratatoskr's meager forces if the fight were to last.

Even Kurumi would not hold forever against the strongest wizards of the world, and, being dominated five to one, Ratatoskr was in the same situation.

Most likely, DEM intended to crush Ratatoskr, then to focus their aces (Artemisia Ashcroft, Ellen Mathers, and Isaac Westcott) on Shidou to kill him.

The preoccupation of the Spirits was above all Shidou. The thing they once knew and still loved.

His appearance alone was frightening. One could not look at him without feeling the abyss of his despair and anger.

It truly was like Pandora's jar.

Tohka was observing Shidou through a video screen and could not look elsewhere.

Both her stomach and heart were hurting because a disturbing thought had emerged in her head.

Tohka had only recently discovered herself that was she was feeling for Shidou was "love"…

So… If Shidou loved Nia… did it mean that… Shidou did not love Tohka?

That she would have to live without Shidou?

That thought alone terrified Tohka.

And if she could not be with Shidou anymore… was it worth to keep going?...

Of course, Tohka was not the only one having these thoughts.

Mukuro, Kaguya and Yuzuru were also in the same state. They loved Shidou, they truly loved him.

So, if he was taken away… even if he was still alive, he would not be with them anymore.

It did not mean that they would give up on saving him, but… it hurt them.

Natsumi and Yoshino were too pure for that, and on the other hand, Miku and Origami didn't care in the slightest: being Shidou's mistresses was fine to them.

Their mood and fighting spirit, so high moments ago, were slowly dropping, much to Kotori's alarm.

However, at this moment, the doors of Fraxinus' control room opened. Shiizaki and Minowa had returned, leaded by a familiar silhouette.

Spiky ash hair, sharp icy blue eyes, red square framed glasses.

Wearing a Ratatoskr' military uniform that suited her perfectly, Nia was standing ahead of the others, her hands on the hips in a proud manner.

"Tremble, mortals, and despair! Doom has come to this world!" she claimed.

The room already quiet was now as silent as a cathedral.

Everyone was gazing at Nia with astonishment and incomprehension.

"…"

"How cool…" Kaguya mumbled, taking out of her pocket a small diary to note Nia's words.

Confronted to her audience reactions, Nia frowned.

"…well, maybe it was not the most suited line here…" she admitted. "But I thought it fit the context well!"

Indeed, with all the screens displaying combat and destruction scene, it seemed that doom had came to this world.

Kotori was the first to react.

"I take it you are perfectly healed… you really scared us, you know?"

"Sorry about that" Nia apologized, scratching her head. "I was dead, but now I feel better. Hey, if I'm dead and alive at the same time, does it make me an undead?"

"Tis not the time to banter" Mukuro said. "Nushi-sama is endangered. Muku shall save Nushi-sama, with or without thou."

"We shall all save Boy. Boy saved me, back then… again. I would be dead by now, had he not closed the wound."

Nia noticed the worried faces of the other Spirits and shook her head.

"Look… I played enough games to know what you are thinking right now. If the main character does not love you, is it worth saving him, will he leave you after, or something like that."

The girls shuddered at Nia's cunning.

"Are you all idiots?"

Nia's insult took them aback.

"In a game, the heroine dating the main character is never definitive. It can always change, depending on your choices and your actions. The points you can earn, the flags you can trigger. So… why don't you come and try to steal Boy from me?! Isn't it how things work at Ratatoskr?!"

Her words echoed on Fraxinus' bridge.

"If you want Boy… if you want Shidou, come and take him! But first, we need to save him! To write a true ending, we need a main character, a hero!"

"Ouuh!"

The Spirits answered Nia's passionate speech with a unanimous roar of approbation.

Nia, satisfied, let out a sigh of satisfaction.

"Hmpf. When the hero is incapacitated, it's up to his harem to save the day…"

Kotori slowly clapped her hand to bring back silence.

"So, do you have a plan, Nia?"

"Kind of. I talked about it with Shiizaki when I was dressing up. Boy is in an Inverse Form, right? So we just need to correct that."

"And how are we supposed to?"

"By reaching his heart. Maybe through a kiss, who knows?" Nia shrugged. "Boy never had a plan concerning us. He always did what his heart told him to."

Nia's eyes were glistening.

"Boy always believed that, even in the abyss of despair, we would answer his feelings. That's why… I, too, believe that he is still there… and we will save him."

"Kyaaa, how about everyone giving Darling a kiss at the same time, so I can enjoy it too?!"

"Miku, if you keep this up, you will die from nose bleeding…"

Kotori was concerned. She was used to elaborate complex strategies, with multiple layers. Nia's suggestion was…

"Allow me to reformulate. You are saying that we should just go with guts, and everything will be ok?"

Nia shook her head.

"No. I'd say that we should throw a first attack against Boy then think about what to do, galvanized by the action!"

"That's the same thing!"

"So, are we to improvise? This is fine by me!" Kaguya agreed.

"Amazement. Kaguya is just so simple, I am envious."

"Was that an insult?!"

"This is not a bad idea."

When Origami spoke, everyone stopped taking. Perhaps it was because she too had military training, so hearing her approving of Nia's idea was unexpected.

"We need to make a move now, while DEM's forces are still busy. Retreating to elaborate a plan would not do any good. So… perhaps, we should aim for the heart of the matter, literally: Shidou. If I can awake him one way or another, it'll be my win."

Tohka blinked on the last words.

"Tobichii Origami… did you just say _my_ win?"

"This is a misconception."

"No, I clearly head it too" Natsumi confirmed.

"This is a misconception too."

"If you say so… well, if it's what you all agree on… Let's do things this way. Let us save Shidou with our own hands!" Kotori said with vigor.

"Yeah!"

"But first, we need to carve a path through these Bandersnatch…"

Indeed, the battle was still raging, and the legions of Bandersnatch continuingly assaulting Shidou seemed infinite.

With Fraxinus armament, they could for sure pierce their lines, but then what? Leading a rescue mission would be difficult if the Bandersnatch were not disabled.

"Kotori."

A soft voice called Kotori and for a unknown reason, a chill ran down her spine.

She slowly turned her head towards…

"Reine?"

"I am sorry. It seems…our paths will part earlier than expected."

"What are you…"

"Because, if I let save you Shin now, he will not be mine. He will disappear."

"Reine!"

"This is goodbye, Kotori."

With a sad smile, Reine disappeared silently, leaving everyone on Fraxinus bridge aghast.

A few seconds later, another event occurred on the monitors.

* * *

Tokisaki Kurumi, the real one (even if, given her abilities, this expression was not very clear) was fighting with a group of her clones but monitoring the battle against Artemisia Ashcroft and Ellen Mathers at the same time, from the roof of a building in Tenguu City, right under the fighting.

Both DEM and Ratatoskr's decisions had surprised her during the last twenty-four hours.

She had decided to follow the wind and fight to see how Ratatoskr would react after Shidou's Inversion.

Of course, Kurumi, as prudent as ever, had saved enough time to use the Twelfth Bullet: Yud Bet.

It would allow her to travel through time and change the course of the events if things were to go fubar.

Kurumi wanted to devour Shidou's reiryoku and yet, she felt guilty for what had happened.

It was because of the wrong information she had communicated to Ratatoskr that Shidou was now…

(No. Shidou-san is not lost yet. I am certain they will find a way to save him. So… let me repay my debt.)

Maybe she would, after all of this, challenge Shidou in order to let her consume her reiryoku? Perhaps it was better to find a compromise?...

However, Kurumi would never know.

Because, at this instant, she felt a tremendous pain in her chest.

(What?...)

Kurumi lowered her eyes, and much to her horror, saw a white arm coming out from her chest. More importantly, the arm was holding something very familiar.

Kurumi's Sephira Crystal, Zafkiel.

"Ah…Ahh!..."

(What is this… what is happening?...)

She wanted to use her Angel. To transfer her consciousness in the past, or to another clone.

But she couldn't. The pain was excruciating and her body would not answer.

(Why….)

Kurumi couldn't help but let out a moan of agony, _someone_ was literally coming out of her, tearing apart her body and flesh.

She didn't even need to try to use her powers. She knew, that, deprived of her Crystal, she could not anymore.

"Why…am I…"

Kurumi's vision blurred and she powerlessly collapsed on the ground.

Her eyes, however, caught the image of the silhouette of the person who had just killed her in the strangest way.

Ratatoskr's Analyzer Officer, Murasame Reine, was standing in front of her.

It was only at this moment that she understood.

Before the decisive fight, Kurumi had discovered that Reine was the Spirit called Phantom. She had locked her up in her City of Devouring Time in order to devour all of her time and had thought at this moment she had won.

But it seemed that again, she was a part of Reine's scheme.

Reine had let Kurumi lock her up inside only to kill her at the opportune moment.

"Thank you, Tokisaki Kurumi. You have been a wonderful friend."

Reine's voice echoed in her head.

Kurumi always knew that she would naturally get her fair retribution given the number of lives she had harvested.

But for it to happen know, without having been able to help nor to accomplish her goal.

At the same moment, another Reine appeared in front of her. She and her other self fused, giving birth to a young, dazzlingly beautiful girl wearing an Astral Dress with flower ornaments.

This girl was Mio Takamiya, the First Spirit, Deus.

Kurumi wanted to say final words, to curse her, to promise her that she would not get away with this.

But she could only watch her…

The worst was that Mio was displaying a sorry face, as if she truly regretted her actions. She was paying homage to Kurumi by witnessing her last moments on earth, bearing the entire responsibility for killing her.

(Shidou-san… I am sorry…)

Kurumi's lips moved but no sound could be heard.

(I could not, fulfill my––––––––––)

"…"

With her last thoughts directed towards Shidou, Tokisaki Kurumi finally closed her eyes and accepted death.

* * *

Ellen Mathers and Artemisia Ashcroft, who were fighting Kurumi's clones, suddenly stopped in the air.

All of the clones had suddenly screamed in pain and disappeared, much to their surprise.

"What is going on…" Ellen muttered, her sword still raised.

Artemisia was watching their surroundings with a dubious face.

They decided together to regroup with Westcott, who was apparently fighting someone in Ratatoskr's ship, Ulmus.

The rest of their respective fleets were also engaged in a battle.

Ellen and Artemisia were only a few dozen meters from Ulmus when out of nowhere, _someone_ appeared in front of them, startling them.

Ellen's heart skipped a beat.

"You!"

That was right. The First Spirit as she remembered her, the day they created her, was standing in front of Ellen Mathers.

Her name was…

"Mio Takamiya. So, it is you" Artemisia said with a hint of curiosity in her voice.

Mio nodded and gave Artemisia a sad smile.

"Ah. It seems you are a victim of DEM too. I am, truly sorry about that."

"What are you talking about?"

But Mio ignored her and looked at Ellen.

Her eyes were filled with a cold anger.

"You contributed to create me. Without you, in a certain sense, I would not have met Shin. But… you stole Shin from me. You made me discover love and loss."

"…"

"Do you know how it feels to lose the person you love the most in the world? Do you know what it feels to know that you will not die and be alone forever? Do you know…"

Mio was speaking very fast and calmed down.

"You know to a certain degree, do you not… after all, you have been chased for being what you are. But there is still some people you care about. So, Ellen Mathers."

When Mio pronounced her name, Ellen couldn't help but shiver. She was the Strongest Wizard, and yet…

Yet… she was afraid?

"I know you are not the one who killed Shin, that day. But you would've done it the same way. Which is why, I will take away from you your most precious treasure."

Mio looked right above them, where the four Ratatoskr ships were fighting DEM main force. Aboard Ulmus, rays of lights and magical explosions could be seen, proof of Westcott and Woodman's fierce fight.

Ellen understood Mio's words too late.

Before she could react.

"Ain Soph Aur."

Mio raised her hand, creating a sphere floating in the air, its shape gradually changing.

A huge flower with numerous overlapping petals and the figure of a young girl praying at its center.

"Bloom."

The flower emitted thousands of particles of light that scattered, flew and "hit" Ratatoskr and DEM warships alike.

For an instant, time seemed to freeze.  
Neither Ellen nor Artemisia could predict what would happen but they felt at this moment a primitive fear.

The instinct lying in every living being, telling him to run away from a mortal danger.

Because, what was right in front of them was death reduced to its purest, simplest expression.

Having been "killed", the airships, deprived of their power, slowly began to fall on Tenguu City. It was as if they had just stopped functioning.

And, among them was Ulmus, the ship where Westcott and Woodman were still fighting; judging from the explosions and sounds, even the fall of the ship didn't prevent them from exchanging blows.

But Ellen did not take the time to think about it properly. The only thing her brain understood was that Ike was in danger.

"IIIIIKE!"

Ellen concentrated all of her power in order to prepare to deploy her Territory as wide as she could. She would stop Ulmus in the air as soon as it would enter her Territory to rescue Ike.

"Ain Soph."

Out of nowhere, a huge tower decorated with flowers and branches pierced the sky and reshaped the surrounding landscape.

The world became monochrome, like in an old movie in black and white.

"Wh–"

"You should know it. Ain Soph is the Angel you studied to develop your own Realizers. Within the space controlled by Ain Soph, I can change the reality as I wish to and edict laws. Since you already deployed your Territory around you to fly and move, I cannot stop you entirely but…"

Mio had a smile.

"The law I just enounced was: no one will be able to _extend_ their Territory. In other words, you will just observe your precious one crashing down because of your powerlessness."

Ellen bit her lip and hesitated.

Artemisia did not and tried to attack Mio without a word, like a silent assassin.

She was second when it came to strength and said to be equal to Ellen Mathers.

Wielding her Arondight, she tried to cut Mio's head with a single blow.

However.

"Ain Soph: Henet."

With a small flower in the palm of her hand, Mio simply invoked her Angel.

An energy beam came out of the flower and hit Artemisia's chest.

Of course, Artemisia had tried to deflect it but trying to block a light that brought death with a sword was meaningless.

Artemisia shuddered. The light of her armor, Lancelot, faded and without a single word, she collapsed like a puppet with her strings cut off.

Ellen could only watch with horror the corpse of her ally falling in the distance. Artemisia was dead, and, falling from this height, her corpse would be reduced to nothing but a bloody pulp.

"Ah…Ah…."

"I had nothing against her" Mio simply said, looking sorry.

Ellen wanted to move, but, coming from Ain Soph tree, several bindings restrained her. She could not do anything.

Finally, the airships hit by Ain Soph Aur passed in front of them, attracted by the gravity to their terrible fate, falling freely.

Faint screams could be heard, proof that, aboard the ships, people were still alive.

A few seconds later, DEM and Ratatoskr's fleets crashed upon Tenguu City, resulting in tremendous explosions and shockwaves that made the entire city tremble, devastating buildings and neighborhoods in the blink of an eye.

"Ike… Ike…"

Ellen muttered the name.

"Even if he survived this, I will personally make sure that Isaac Westcott will never hurt anyone anymore. Ellen Mathers."

When Mio called her, Ellen raised her eyes only to see the cold face of the First Spirit.

"You will die, knowing that you could not do anything to save him. With that, all your years of labor will be reduced to nothingness. You could not avenge your village. You could not protect your sister, your loved one, and even your friends. In other words… your life had no meaning."

"!"

Ellen did not find anything to reply. It was like… she was experiencing bottomless despair.

"I hope you feel, only a fragment of my own despair when you took Shin away from me."

"I… I…"

"Goodbye, Ellen. Ain Soph Aur."

A bright light blinded Ellen.

With her last emotion being total and complete despair, Ellen Mathers died from the hand of the very one she had contributed to create.

* * *

Mio looked at the ruins below her, with rests of airships scattered on the ground.

Indeed, most of the crewmembers were dead.

Ellen Mathers was dead.

Artemisia Ashcroft was dead.

Many people were dead and she had destructed a good part of Tenguu City.

She killed all of these DEM persons not only by vengeance but also because they were no use to her anymore.

She had let them live so Shin could grow up and become stronger, while carefully monitoring their actions. But because of them, a complication had emerged. Shin wasn't supposed to Inverse.

Well, it was still under control.

After all, if it could allow her to reunite with Shin, Mio would do anything.

Shidou was down there, immobile. Because of Mio's destructive assault on DEM's fleet, the Bandersnatch units had been deactivated.

The few Wizards still able to move had rushed on the crash site to look out for survivors.

Mio closed her eyes and teleported right in front of Shidou.

Thanks to her Astral Dress, Shidou's extremely harmful reiryoku was not hurting her.

She had a poor smile when she saw his state.

"It's okay. It will soon be over, Shin."

She slowly approached him.

"Let us be together…forever."


	11. Erased

"Let us be together…forever."

Mio was slowly approaching Shidou, who was immobile a few meters above the crater created by his devastating attacks.

Still wearing his casual clothes, Shidou was unrecognizable because of the dark aura enveloping him. He did not maintain his stature and his head was hunging.

His chin almost touching his chest, his eyes not to be seen.

When Mio had destroyed DEM flagships, the Bandersnatch units had all stopped to function, leaving Shidou alone.

Amidst the ruins of this Tenguu City's neighborhood, with DEM and Ratatoskr's fleet wrecks all around them were Shidou and Mio Takamiya, the First Spirit, alias Murasame Reine.

As she had destroyed DEM, Mio only had now to give Shin the last Sephira Crystal, Binah, the very one she had recovered minutes earlier by killing Tokisaki Kurumi.

And afterwards… she would just have to erase Shidou's existence and memories to be with Shin once again.

Forever always with Shin.

So they could see _that_ place again.

* * *

Shidou could not tell if he was alive.

He was "seeing", but his vision was so blurred, as well as his hearing, that they did not seem real.

The concept of "being alive" in his state was questionable. As if, his eyes were functioning independently from his brain.

He was seeing but not understanding the images in front of him.

So, it all felt like a distant dream. A realm where the "reality" had no meaning. His mind could not grasp the concept of "existing" neither.

* * *

Shidou's eyes widened as he came back to his senses with a deep breath.

It was a figure of speech, since he didn't even know where he was and if this was reality.

Shidou was on a shore, with no memories of what happened before.

The white sand, the inexhaustible horizon and the sunlight sparkling against the watery surface that seemed to slowly breathe because of the peaceful tide.

The delicate yet powerful aroma of the sea, the familiar sound of the ocean.

This place seemed familiar to him. Shidou was sure that he had never visited that beach and yet…

It really was strange. All of this scenery and details that made him _feel_ a place were clear to him, but he could not even tell if he was alive, what kind of clothes he was wearing.

Here, "Shidou" existed and that was barely all.

Then, he saw this boy.

A few meters away from him, walking in the sand.

Dressed with a cool summer attire, as if he was here on vacation… or a date.

"…me?"

The boy had the exact face Shidou saw each morning in the mirror. His.

As weird as it was, it was like he faced himself.

"Are you… me?..." he muttered.

The boy smirked, looking embarrassed.

"I suppose so… which means, you are also me."

His expression was also the same Shidou would make in this situation.

Shidou suddenly understood what it all meant, as if a key suddenly unlocked the mystery.

After all, he could only be…

"… Shin…ji? Takamiya… Shinji?"

"Right on the mark… Itsuka Shidou. We finally meet, at least."

Both of them looked at each other for several seconds. It was a weird experience for both of them, after all.

"Why do we meet here?..." Shidou eventually asked.

"Even if I, Takamiya Shinji, exist, this is your body. Your soul, as to speak. So… I think, we are inside one of your memories."

He scratched his head.

"Of course, it cannot last forever. It's not like I live here or something like this, haha. In fact, it will end, soon."

Shidou sat in the sand in order to properly think as Shinji did the same, gazing at the ocean.

It truly was a beautiful, peaceful sight.

However, Shinji's explanations confused him.

All of it… was in Shidou's mind, his mind.

Eventually, he frowned.

"But… I don't recall this place… so… if this is part of my memories, why?..."

"You forget that I am you too. You share my memories. I went to this place, which is why you can picture it. My memories… are yours, but yours aren't mine."

"It's… complicated."

"I agree" Shinji laughed.

After a few moments, Shidou suddenly shot a question.

"…how does it feel?"

"Hm?"

"To die… how does it feel?" Shidou asked again.

It was a futile question… but he could not help.

"Ah, even though you've been close to death, you never really…died."

"Well, sorry about that."

"Haha, don't mind it."

Shinji smiled wryly but his face expression became somewhat sad and lonely.

"How to say… I can only speak for myself. But… at first, it hurts a lot. It's hot, it's cold and the pain is so unbearable you can't even talk."

Shidou shivered. He knew this part.

"Then, you start to lose your sensations… first, the pain vanishes, but it is replaced by a feeling of emptiness that tightens your heart. You have the feeling that… it will be the end."

Shinji's lips trembled.

"Before you notice it, you're crying, desperately praying not to die. Your vision is blurred, by your tears but also by something else. Despite the fact that you know your eyes are wide open, you don't see anymore. Next is the hearing. You're blind and deaf to everything happening around you, _to you."_

Shinji paused.

"And finally… you cease to exist. This last part is really hard to describe, we don't have words for this. It's beyond human concepts… This is just… over."

Shinji whispered the end of the sentence.

"… Sorry, I just killed the atmosphere…"

"Poor choice of words but yes" Shidou said with a grin. "I asked first so it's okay..."

For a moment, only the distant noise caused by the waves could be heard.

"I am sorry you died… and sorry I couldn't let you take over my body" Shidou suddenly said. "Since you are me… in the first place, it should be only be normal for you to come back, but…"

Shidou had troubles to find the correct words. He felt genuinely sorry, not to be able to give Shinji a second chance… a second life.

He felt egoistic.

"…"

"I am sorry. I… didn't want to disappear. I have people I love too here… even if I'm a fake… even if I'm just an illusion…"

"No, I am sorry too."

Shinji's words took Shidou aback.

"At first… I was overwhelmed by despair. When you…awakened me, I thought… I deserved to see Mio again. I wanted to see her again, I had to be with her again. Since without me, you wouldn't have existed at all, I thought it was my right. But… It was a mistake."

Shinji picked a handful of sand, opened his hand, and looked at the white dust falling down.

"I realized it. Even if I have people I care about… you do too… and I should not destroy that."

"But… It means… you will disappear..." Shidou muttered.

Shinji shook his head. He was smiling, but his smile was painful, lonely.

"No, I will not."

"But you told me…"

"That it would end soon. In fact, the ending has already been decided. There is only one possible route, in this story."

Shinji was now looking at Shidou in the eyes.

It was a very strange experience to look at yourself like this. It truly was like a mirror.

"I think it was Mio's doing. For me… for us to be born again. I'm very happy she wanted to be with me, to see me again…but in the end, she made a mistake."

"I don't understand…"

"It's simple."

Shinji's eyes were sparkling, much to Shidou's surprise.

"I am already gone."

Shidou was stunned.

"What do you mean… already gone? You are here… you are talking to me… even the other times, you… you took control of my body…"

"I never did. It was you, at that time."

"What?"

"You acted in accordance with Takamiya Shinji's memories because you were confused and did not even know which memories you should trust. Me… I am no longer here."

"But you are here! With me! Inside of me! You told me that!" Shidou flared.

He didn't understand at all. What was going on?

"I told you this place… all of it… were memories. My, your memories. But since this is all your doing…"

Shinji's voice was slightly trembling.

"I, also am a memory. I am no longer human. I am just… the souvenir of the boy once named Takamiya Shinji. If you, Shidou, are the counterfeit of the original Shinji… I am the counterfeit of a counterfeit. If I can take form and speak as I do, it is because your own mind arranged it this way so it could be easier to handle. I am the sum of Takamiya Shinhi's memories. Nothing less but nothing more."

"What…"

Shidou struggled but eventually understood the meaning of Shinji's words.

That was right. Shinji had told him before.

Everything here was built up from Shidou's memories. Of course, it included Shinji… since he was himself the memory of a memory.

"But… my time here is over. Your body has been unstable because you created me. You created another personality, built from memories in order not to become mad and clearly separate Shidou and Shinji's lives, as you believed at first that you were sharing your body with someone else. That solution had its bright sides, but it also brought you a lot of pain."

Shinji closed his eyes.

"However… now that you really are conscious that I'm not another _you_ but only memories… I'll disappear. I'll lose my actual form, and return to nothing but scattered souvenirs. You will be able to live in peace."

It was only at this moment that Shidou realized how Shinji was feeling.

Even if he was not a complete being, he still had emotions, he still behaved like his old self.

And he knew… he knew that his old self, Takamiya Shinji, was definitely gone, that the last remnants of him would also disappear.

Takamiya Shinji's last living incarnation was well aware of his disappearance.

And yet, he explained Shidou everything. Even with sadness overcoming him, he still…

Shidou could not resist the tears in his eyes.

His body moved by itself and he embraced the boy who was and was not him.

"I am sorry… Shinji… I am… so sorry…" he sobbed.

"Hey, hey, don't cry. I should be the one crying" he joked, slowly tapping Shidou's back.

"If only… I could reunite you with Mio…"

"You can't. But… I'm glad I could see her again, through your eyes, even as a memory."

The two boys supported each other for some minutes, and parted when Shidou wiped his tears.

"Say, Shidou. I don't know what's going out there, but I am certain someone will come for you."

"… yeah, I don't quite recall what happened… I'm not even sure this is real…"

"Yes, I get that. So… will you wait with me? It would be… less lonely if you could accompany me till the very end."

"… of course. I will remain by you side. This… is the least I can do."

"Haha. Thank you. And please… do not let suffer anyone because of me, or you, right?"

Shinji offered him his pinky finger.

Shidou smiled and shook Shinji's finger with his own. Just like that, they sealed their promise.

"Yes. That's a promise."

"Thank you, Shidou."

"No…thank you, Shinji."

Slowly, steadily, a bright light invaded this place out of space and time, as the two boys were still holding each other's pinky.

Then Shinji started to slowly become transparent, his body turning and dissolving into tiny particles of pure light, like fireflies.

The existence once known as Takamiya Shinji disappeared with a last smile engraved in Itsuka Shidou's mind.

* * *

Shidou probably expected to awake in another place after that strange dream.

But the world where he was now was monochrome.

It was dark.

Only darkness welcomed him.

Shidou felt himself sinking in a bottomless abyss.

* * *

Mio was contemplating Shidou.

Contemplating and examining him at the same time.

It was not in her plan for Shidou to Inverse. Of course, she knew it was in theory possible but given Shidou's iron will, she thought it would not be possible for him to feel an emotion such as bottomless despair.

For some reason, it bothered her.

It meant Shidou loved Nia so much he would feel lost without her.

She smiled to herself. Was it jealousy?

It was totally uncalled for. Shidou was not Shinji. If Shinji had loved someone else, it would have been justified, but since it was Shidou…

Yes, it should not matter.

Shidou, not Shinji. That was all.

Since Shidou, in the end, was only a counterfeit born from Shinji's memories and re-creation… it was still surprising.

However, to be honest, no one could have recognized the always kind and caring Shidou right now.

His aura and expression were beyond frightening, not mentioning the dark reiryoku surrounding him.

Shidou was now an avatar of overwhelming destruction. In his state, he was only obsessed with only one objective: destroy.

To destroy everything, every being he would meet. That was the effect of the Inverse phenomena.

It was said to awake the "true" personalities of the Spirits.

On the other hands, these very personalities were, depending of the context and the degree of control of their host would likely resemble beasts only driven by rage and destruction.

Shidou had been busy dealing with the Bandersnatch units until now, but he would soon move out again.

However, this matter did not worry Mio. Another factor was to take in consideration.

Shidou was now a time bomb. When a Spirit would Inverse, they would attack everything around them.

But Shidou held right now the reiryoku of ten Spirits. Nobody – excepted Mio – could hold that much power.

Worse, Shidou had no control over his strength and was unleashing his reiryoku without any consideration; it was only a matter of time before he would simply explode… his body was still a human one after all.

He could not bear that amount of energy and would suffer irremediable wounds if things kept going like this.

Mio still needed to transfer Binah to him. She tapped her chest, where her own Sephira Crystal and Binah lied.

She would later have to find Westcott corpse and retrieve the remnants of Chokmah to also give them to Shinji.

Tracking her other children to also take back the remnants of their Sephira Crystals would have made Shinji perfect, but she was tired of shedding blood and it was enough.

But first, she needed to narrow down the pathway between Shidou and the other Spirits. It would reduce the amount of reiryoku he had access to.

The same thing she had done during the Itsuka Disaster to save him.

After that…

After that, her long awaited dream would come true.

She would be with Shinji forever and always.

She could tell Shinji once again she loved him.

She could show him the stuffed bear he gave her that day, how much she treasured it like a talisman giving her courage.

She could bear Shinji's children, eventually.

They would go together, far away, to live in peace for eternity. Perhaps they would travel to that shore once again.

They would do everything they wanted to; thanks to their mutual powers and love, nothing would be impossible.

They would make such a strange couple: a former human, resurrected, and her, an entity created by magic holding supreme powers.

Crossing the Boundary of mortality.

An eternal paradise, together.

An Eternal Love shared.

Being so close to the goal she had chased during thirty years, Mio could not help but to let her mind wander a few seconds.

Because of that, she did not notice Shidou approaching her.

To be exact, she noticed it a heartbeat too late.

"?..."

Mio wanted to speak but she could not voice whatever she desired to say.

Maybe because of the sensation she was feeling.

With her almost divine status, Mio was immune to cold, hunger, fatigue and all these human weaknesses.

She barely knew the meaning of "pain" as the only pain she had ever felt was caused by Shinji's death, thirty years earlier.

And yet she was _so_ cold right now. Since it was probably the first time Mio felt that, she doubted her own senses.

Was it due to Shidou's harmful reiryoku?

No, her Astral Dress was protecting her.

So…why?

Something moved inside her chest, giving her nausea.

Mio's eyes widened when she saw that…

… Shidou's hand was plunged in her chest, crawling inside her flesh.

If Mio was nearly invulnerable because of her Astral Dress, something or someone with a great reiryoku could still hurt her.

And Shidou, by holding nine out of the ten Sephira Crystal that represented Mio's power, was able to pierce through her armor and body alike.

Why did he act like this?

Perhaps because, _this_ Shidou understood that reiryoku alone could not kill Mio.

… Ahh, that was right. This Shidou could not care less about her.

He only wanted to destroy everything and kill everyone. Including her.

Fear of death had never seized Mio before, as she could not be killed through normal means.

Only this time, she could feel her body shaking.

Because, Shidou's finger eventually found what they were looking for.

Mio could feel his hand grabbing, inside of her, the two Sephira Crystals she kept: Kurumi's and hers.

She could not move. She could not speak.

Her mind, usually so quick to understand and solve situations, was somehow frozen. She could not think of a way to get out of here.

Perhaps… Shidou wanted to take possession of her Sephira Crystal?

Perhaps… Shidou wanted to use Zafkiel ability to manipulate time, in order to change history once again?

If it was so, there was nothing to fea––

"!"

Mio understood she was wrong when she felt Shidou's grasp tightening.

Yes.

That beast, that demon in front of him was not interested by such things.

He only wanted her death and the world to be gone.

Mio did not have the time to regret her naivety nor the loss of the dream she had been chasing for thirty years.

The being once known as Itsuka Shidou, as Takamiya Shinji, pulled out the two Sephira Crystals inside Mio with the very hand that offered her a stuffed bear one day.

If Binah was only a fragment of her power, Mio was dependent of her own Sephira Crystal. It was her core, her heart. Without it, she would not even exist.

Because of that, the instant Shidou took it.

Mio vanished from the world.

Her body and consciousness dissolved in the air, similarly to dust carried away by the wind.

It took an instant of carelessness, to annihilate all of her efforts, all the lives she had taken, all of her love.

In her last flash of consciousness, Mio felt that in the end, she only received her fair retribution for her sins.

Even though…

She wished, she could have seen Shin one last time.

* * *

The Spirits aboard Fraxinus had been shaken by the revelation of Phantom being Reine, aka Takamiya Mio.

But the scene they had just witnessed was worse.

"Oi, are you kidding me…" Nia murmured, cold sweat running down her forehead.

As she was now the strategist and analyst officer in place of Reine, Nia was analyzing several screens displaying data, numbers and Shidou's actions.

Kotori's jaw dropped when she saw Shidou literally killing Takamiya Mio, the First Spirit, the one that loved him and gave birth to him again, going through thirty years of hell only to see him again.

It seemed that Mio was well aware of her sins and accepted this weight. But for her to die so suddenly…

Kotori could not help but to feel sorry for her.

All of them were afraid that Mio would erase Shidou's personality when the latter pierced Mio and took the two Sephira Crystals she possessed.

If they were relieved that Shidou was still "alive", the situation was not better than before. It was actually worse…

Basically, Shidou now held all the Sephira Crystals, even Mio's one. His power truly made him the equal of the former First Spirit.

However, Shidou was still in his Inverse Form, yearning for destruction.

Nia was trying to remain calm and collected.

"Alright… I guess we're facing the final boss. He may seem invincible but he has a weakness" she said.

"Which one?" Kotori asked.

"He is still Boy. I am certain… he will answer to our feelings. I am sure it's the key. Even if he holds Miocchi Sephira Crystal, there is still a pass between him and all of us. Though, we need to immobilize him. Let me think about it. I beat Advance Wars and Valkyria Chronicles on expert modes."

Nia loved otome games but she also played a lot of RTS (ranked Grand Master on StarCraft II) and Strategy RPGs.

To attain her objective, she first needed to guess her opponent's intentions.

By knowing one's next move, you would be able either to counter him or lead him where you wanted him to be.

It was the easiest part in this situation.

An Inverse Spirit would likely attack everyone and everything in their sight.

Nia quickly overlooked the multiple surveillance screens. Below Shidou were the rests of DEM's fleet, destroyed by Mio.

Among the wrecks of airships, several Wizards could be seen looking out for survivors.

And Shidou was–

Not here anymore.

"… don't tell me…"

Nia blinked and called out the other Spirits.

"Everyon–"

Nia gasped, not even finishing her sentence.

* * *

It was said a Qlipha Crystal, that everyone believed to be the "evil" counterpart of a Sephira Crystal, was in truth the original form of the latter.

As apparently, Inverse Tohka was a particular case, it was unknown if the Qlipha Crystals had their own personality and thus transmitted them to their host when they would Inverse.

Most likely, when under the influence of a Qlipha Crystal, they would feel a negative emotion at a bottomless level: despair, anger, grief… that would lead them to want to destroy the entire world.

It was also true for humans, after all. If one suffered an ordeal, he would likely curse the world, curse the responsible, or curse himself.

When we suffer, we hurt either the others or ourselves.

Since the Inverse Spirits, in their state, did not have the control and reasoning it took to overcome such emotions, they would simply use their power to hurt the others.

Shidou had been under the nefarious influence of ten Qlipha Crystals because of his Inversion.

But the instant he took possession of Mio's Sephira Crystal, his consciousness surfaced.

At the same moment, the aura of rage surrounding him disappeared, replaced by a white one, at least as powerful.

Shidou's eyes were now wide open, his breathing hard.

"?!"

(Where am…I?...)

His body was hot, very hot, his vision and hearing enhanced, but a cloud was troubling his mind.

(It's… I am like… a Spirit?... But why…)

All of sudden, memories flowed through him.

His own memories… and Mio's.

Within a few seconds, Shidou remembered everything.

But above all…

Nia was gone.

Nia, whom Shidou loved, was gone.

And.

Mio, whom Shinji loved, was also gone… killed with his own hand.

The two persons the human being known as "Shidou" had loved were dead. Dead and gone.

The double loss of his loved ones, brutal and definitive, should have plunged Shidou in an even deeper abyss of despair.

But… instead of that.

He only felt hatred.

A feeling he was not used to was now brimming in his entire being.

Hatred. Hate. Bottomless rage.

All of it directed towards the only one responsible.

DEM.

DEM.

DEM.

DEM!

It was all DEM's fault.

Yes. Yes. Yes. It was entirely DEM's fault.

More exactly, it was surely that man, Isaac Westcott's fault. He was the source of all of their suffering.

He was the one who killed Shinji.

The one who tortured Nia, the one constantly trying to kill him.

Shidou was now conscious. He could think, talk and act. But that was all.

The Qlipha Crystals inside of him still influenced him.

Shidou's body, after all, was still a human's one, and over a human body, Qlipha Crystals would have that effect.

Thanks to Mio's Sephira Crystal, Shidou's instincts would not drive him. But, if even his consciousness succumbed to his primal rage…

"Ahh **…aaaAAAAHhhAAaaAAAAHHHHHHHHHHhhhHHH!"**

Shidou's bestial roar made the earth shake.

Once again, dark colored, nefarious reiryoku was surrounding him, more frightening than the first time.

" **DEM…** **WESTCOOOOOOOOTT!"**

* * *

By seeing Shidou turning back to – almost – normal, Nia had thought that everything was solved.

But his sudden change and howl confirmed her that the worse was still to come.

"Imouto-chan! We need to go to there, NOW!"

"Where?"

"Where DEM's fleet crashed! Didn't you hear Boy? I don't think he screamed their name for the pleasure! I don't know what his state is right now, but we know he found his target!"

The place where DEM's fleet had crashed now resembled a battlefield, with craters, wreckages and junk scattered all around.

Most of the airships hit by Mio's attack had hit the ground without protection, killing most of their passengers but some of them had managed to active self-Realizer devices.

The rare survivors, wounded for the majority, were being extracted from the ships by DEM's wizards.

One of them, a middle-aged woman wearing a CR-Unit, was giving a hand to a technician who had miraculously survived the crash when she felt a presence behind her.

She turned back, only to see…

A boy? Yes, it was a boy, a high school student but his aura was… oppressing, more oppressing than the chief Mathers when she was angry.

" **DEM…** "

"Hey, young man, you shouldn't–"

She wanted to tell him to go away but something prevented her from finishing her sentence.

" **Ain Soph Aur."**

A flower blossomed and bright particles of light harvested the wizard's life before she could understand what was happening.

She collapsed, her body hitting the ground with a thud.

Behind her, the technician who had just been saved was trembling with fear.

The boy looked at him.

" **DEM… too.** "

"Ah… I'm–"

The man did not have the chance to defend himself or to beg for mercy.

The same bright particles of light took his life.

And Shidou moved on.

Killing every DEM's underling he would find. Men, women, wizards, technician, crewmembers, pilots, even cooks.

It did not matter.

If they worked for DEM, they would just die.

Because DEM was responsible of everything.

Shidou only left a track of corpses behind him.

* * *

Westcott was lying down in the dirt, his eyes contemplating the blue sky. His body was covered with wounds, both of his arms seemingly broken.

It looked truly like a miracle for him to be still alive. His Demon King was nowhere to be found.

"Ahh… Ahh… so even with Belzeebub, I lost… again. You truly are the strongest… Elliot."

A few steps from him, a young man in his prime, wearing a partially destroyed golden armor was sitting on a rock. A rifle looking like a cannon was lying at his feet.

"You underestimated Gungnir, Ike. I do recognize that your progress with the Realizer is impressing, but we are still ahead of you in terms of technology."

Elliot Woodman, wearing his personal CR-Unit, spoke with a composed tone.

He did not look like someone who were to die in a few minutes.

After an intense battle, both Woodman and Westcott had found themselves falling along with Ulmus airship. It did not stop them from fighting, not even their brutal landing.

But eventually, it came to an end, as Woodman proved to be the best in terms of strength and skill.

However, one could call it a draw.

Westcott would die from his wounds, with no medical care available, and having burned all of his remaining lifespan because of his use of Wodan, Woodman would also succumb in a few minutes.

Even if their opinions diverged, now that death was closing in, they were but two friends peacefully discussing.

"By the way… where is Karen? I thought she would fight by your side…" Westcott said.

"Hum. Yes, she wanted to. However, for her own sake, I had her evacuated with the rest of the crewmembers. They should be safe."

Woodman answered while thinking about the white light that had caused both Ratatoskr's and DEM's fleet to crash. Without a doubt – and it was certain Westcott had sensed it too –, it was the First Spirit's power.

"And with Itsuka Shidou in this state…" he muttered for himself.

He did not sense the harmful aura anymore in his state of weakness and the fights seemed to be over.

Yet, Woodman was worried. A feeling that could not be explained…

However, he trusted Itsuka Kotori and the rest of Ratatoskr personnel. He knew they were more capable than he was and sincerely believed they would find a happy ending for all of them.

His body was becoming heavier, and a torpor was slowly taking over his consciousness. It was similar to falling asleep but Woodman knew it would be an eternal rest.

"And Ellen? I was persuaded she would come here…" he casually asked.

"She was to deal with Nightmare along with Artemisia. I trusted them to achieve their part quickly but obviously, something went wrong" Westcott replied with a weaker voice.

" **Dead.** "

"Hm?"

Woodman could not help but to be surprised by this sudden interjection.

Westcott and him turned their head in the direction of the newcomer.

Itsuka Shidou, clad in a frightening dark aura of reiryoku, was standing there. Woodman truly realized his state of exhaustion; he would normally have detected such a nefarious aura from miles.

Westcott, still lying on the ground, was observing Itsuka Shidou with an interested gaze.

"Ohhh... it seems he still is in his Inverse Form, and yet, I somehow know he is still conscious…how is it?"

Woodman ignored his old comrade commentaries.

"Itsuka Shidou… you just said…"

" **They dead.** "

His voice was so cold it literally froze Woodman ears. It had nothing to do with the kind boy he met before…

"And how would you know that?"

" **Mio killed them. I know. I remember.** "

Mio was referring to the First Spirit. Shocked by this announcement, however, Woodman frowned at the end of Itsuka Shidou's sentence.

But his way of speaking was strange, primitive in a certain way.

"Remember?..."

Suddenly, by realizing that the First Spirit was not by his side, he had a terrible suspicion.

Westcott burst into laughter.

"Hahahahahaha! This is incredible! Truly incredible! You _took_ her Sephira Crystal, didn't you? And you managed to… haaaa, this is wonderful!"

Westcott was chuckling like a child, despite his mortal wounds.

Itsuka Shidou remained silent and walked to his side.

" **It's you. It's you. It's you.** "

His voice was trembling with a bottomless hate.

" **You. You. You. You.** "

Woodman heard it all. Not only the same word repeated again and again, but the whole signification behind them.

Westcott was responsible of all of Itsuka Shidou's trials.

By his total absence of empathy, by his schemes to take possession of the Spirits' powers, by all of his evil doings.

He was even the one who had killed Takamiya Shinji, thirty years ago. If there were someone Itsuka Shidou could and would hate, it would be for sure Isaac Ray Pelham Westcott.

Westcott smirked.

"So, what will you do, Itsuka Shidou? I am to die in a few minutes, so…"

" **Begone.** "

Westcott slightly raised his eyebrows and opened his mouth to reply. However, Itsuka Shidou was faster.

" **Ain**."

Light filled the world.

Woodman had the reflex of closing his eyes, but when he opened them, he was surprised to see that the landscape was still the same.

Yes, it was all the same… excepted one thing.

Westcott was gone.

"Itsuka Shidou… what did you…"

" **Gone.** "

The sentence was easy to understand, short, and terrible at the same time.

It was not a murder. It was more…

Where Westcott body was a few seconds before now lied a gem like grey object, shining.

It was without a doubt, the Sephira Crystal Chokmah. When Westcott had absorbed it, it was in its Inverse Forme, as a Qlipha Crystal.

However, it seemed that his journey inside Westcott's body had somehow refined him. Now that it had been extracted out of the latter, it had returned to its Sephira form.

Shidou did not even glance at it.

His gaze was now on Woodman.

" **You are… DEM too.** "

In a sense, it was true. Woodman was one of DEM's founders.

Faced with so much hate and sorrow, Woodman, still in his young form, sighed. If his body was in his prime, his eyes reflected his age and wisdom.

"Itsuka Shidou. I do not know if you can understand me, but… I am terribly sorry for pushing you in such trials. You are right; I am as responsible as my old friend of all the torments you suffered."

" **Sorry?** "

Shidou tilted his head.

"Yes, sorry. My regrets will not resurrect Takamiya Shinji. They will not erase your suffering. A man can only admit his mistakes and ask for forgiveness."

Woodman's words were honest. He was not trying to save his life with pretty words, as he would also die in a few moments.

He was just asking the boy whom he had troubled the life twice to forgive him.

Shidou and Woodman looked at each other in the eyes, not bulging.

Eventually, Shidou opened his mouth.

" **Ain Soph Aur: Henet.** "

A flower bloomed. A beam hit Woodman, taking his life, turning him back to his old self.

The last thing he saw with his eyes was the figure of a beautiful girl at the center of the blooming flower.

As Elliot Baldwin Woodman's lifeless corpse touched the ground, Shidou said:

" **I forgive.** "

* * *

Shidou stood there, amidst the ruins, the corpses and the wreckages.

The last bits of reason he possessed were shattered, slowly disappearing because of the whirlwind of negative emotions building inside him.

He did not have anything to live for now.

Most of DEM's forces were destroyed.

The people who had caused all of his misfortunes were dead, killed with his own hand.

And the one he loved… was gone too.

So.

Perhaps…

It was better for the world to disappear as well.

However, suddenly.

Eleven silhouettes appeared behind him, probably teleported.

Shidou turned his head.

He heard several people calling him, people whom he knew.

And then.

"Boy!"

That simple word brought him back.

Shidou's heart was beating hard, as he was holding his breath.

One of the silhouettes stepped forth.

A thin body, with almost no curves and yet charming.

Ash grey hair, blue, icy eyes. The face of a young woman, no more than twenty, with red square framed glasses.

" **…Nia?** "

But she was…

He had seen her…

She was coming closer and closer to him but suddenly stopped. Shidou realized that his own reiryoku was preventing her from coming closer.

His power was a harmful storm that repelled her.

Nia was a few steps away from him. He could clearly see her now.

It was not an illusion. It was truly…

" **Nia.** "

Shidou could only pronounce her name, trying to tell her everything he was now feeling through her name.

Nia smiled.

"Yes, Boy… No. Shidou."

Nia was a bit afraid, but relieved at the same time.

When they were still aboard Fraxinus, the other Spirits and she had seen Shidou mercilessly killing DEM's survivors, as well as Westcott and Woodman, much to their horror.

It was nowhere near of Shidou's kind personality to do that.

Seeing him committing murders had shocked them, and they feared that it would be too late to recover him.

Despite Maria's warning and the situation, Nia and the Spirits, along with Mana clad in her armor, had insisted to be teleported near Shidou.

So, when Nia heard Shidou calling her by her name, she felt her heart melting, submerged by relief, joy… and love.

Shidou recognized her. Shidou knew her.

So, there was still a chance to bring him back. Despite the harmful reiryoku surrounding him, despite the murders he had committed… Ellen, Artemisia, Mio, DEM's personnel, Westcott, Woodman… because, it was not of his doing, right?

It was because of his state, of his Inverse Form. The real Shidou would never do such things. They all knew it.

Nia knew what she had to do, too.

Since the reason of Shidou's Inversion was her death, she just had to prove him that she was still alive.

No… more than that.

She was still alive and would live for him, with him.

And as stupid as it sounded, the only way of doing so was by kissing him.

Exchanging a new kiss with Shidou would definitely prove him that Nia was alive (and of course, this solution, proposed by Maria, had raised many objections among the other Spirits).

For that, she would have to cross Shidou's Inverse reiryoku.

From what Tohka had explained her, it was extremely painful to cross one's reiryoku without the protection of an Astral Dress.

She could do it. She would do it.

For Shidou had done it before so many times, braving the Spirits' fury only to save them.

Nia breathed in and out and took one step.

" **Nia?…** "

Nia stopped, aghast.

Shidou was crying.

But his tears were red. They were tears of blood.

" **Nia..aah..ha,ha,ha…HaaAAAAAaaaaaaaAAAAAaaAAAGGgHHHhHHH!** "

A wave of negative reiryoku broke out of Shidou's body and pushed back Nia along with the other Spirits.

When they get back on their feet, the sight in front of them made them shudder.

" **GuUUUUaaAaa….** "

Shidou, bloody tears overflowing from the eyes, was on his knees. His moans were inhuman and expressed an intense suffering.

Worse, his reiryoku was now spreading out of his body uncontrollably, forming a sort of force field that was dangerously expanding.

It was like a broken dam with the contained water forcing its way out.

Nia quickly recovered her mind and called out Kotori, who was in communication with Maria, Fraxinus AI, through the Incam she was wearing.

"What on Earth is going on with Boy? Why is he like this?!"

Kotori was so pale she looked like she would faint.

"…No…"

"What, no?!"

Kotori bowed her head. All the Spirits were listening, as time seemed to slow down.

"We were blinded by Shidou's Inverse Form, all this time..."

"What do you mean?"

"Before leaving Fraxinus, Reine… no, Mio told us that, Shinji would disappear if she were not to recover him now. At first, I thought she was talking about the fact that Shinji would be erased of Shidou's being, but…"

She clenched her fist.

"We knew it. We knew it, we even received a grim reminder during the Itsuka Disaster– that human body cannot withstand spiritual power. Even if Shidou absorbed Mio's Crystal… He's not a wizard like Westcott or Woodman-sama. Using his powers always taxed him heavily…"

Nia blinked. She had heard, of course, of this incident, when Shidou had gone berserk (and freed her) because of an accumulation and overcharge of spiritual power.

Of course, they had solved the problem back then by widening the pass, through kisses.

But.

Since then, Shidou had sealed Nia and Mukuro.

And, above all…

Shidou had Inversed and taken possession of the First Spirit's Sephira Crystal.

There was no way that his human body, even adapted a bit to Sephira Crystals, would be able to withstand that.

"Kotori."

The voice was Origami's.

"What can we do? Is it possible to widen the pass again, as we did last time?"

Her voice was calm but her anxiety was clearly palpable.

"…no. The problem does not come from us…"

"Can we not… put him to sleep? Reduce his power, one way or another? Stall for time?"

"…"

Origami also asked Maria for her opinion, but even the AI was clueless. As Nia was also wearing an Incam, she heard her answer.

" _It is only a matter of time before Shidou completely loses control of all of his reiryoku. And when it happens… even I cannot calculate the radius of the explosion._ "

Hearing that harsh statement was the finishing blow.

"No… Nii-sama is…"

"Nushi-sama... Muku, shan't,…"

"Shidou-san can't… disappear… right?..."

"What are you saying… that Shidou will… Die?..."

Despair was taking over the girls gathered here. They could almost turn Inverse too.

Shidou was literally a time bomb. They could not approach him, let alone save him.

They were condemned to see the one they loved die in front of them, and his death would mean theirs too.

It resembled the worst end they could find in a visual novel.

Even the always brave Tohka was lost. However.

"So what."

Nia, in her Ratatoskr's military officer uniform, was standing in front of them.

"Boy is about to explode like an overcharged kamikaze. So what?"

Her voice and conviction were firm.

"We've faced worse… no, okay, our previous struggles didn't look that bad. But, game master, if you think this is enough for me to give up!" she yelled.

Nia's behavior looked like she had lost it.

"I don't care about Boy's condition. I don't care about our chances of success. I will complete that damn stage and get the true happy end, you hear me?!"

Nia turned back and looked at everyone.

"Muku-chan. Origamin. Natsumin. Miku. Yuzuru-chan, Kaguyacchi. Manatee. Imouto-chan. Yoshinon, Yoshino. Tohka."

She called them one by one.

"As my friends and rivals… will you help me to reach that true end?"

Her pose, her speech, her attitude lit the fire of hope inside them.

 _What if it was possible?_ was the idea they all had now, thanks to Nia.

"… we should not give up, but how do you propose to save Shidou?" asked Origami.

"I will give him a passionate, adult kiss."

"….."

Everyone went silent, excepted for Origami (I see) and Miku (Kyaa, approved!).

"I was kidding. I will call him. I will bring him back. Even if I have to kick his ass!"

Nia's plan was not very convincing in the end. However, they did not have a choice.

They could try this madness, or simply wait for Shidou to explode and wipe them out along with the entire Japan.

"I need you to give me an opening. Right now, if I were to get close to Boy, I would be reduced to smithereens. I need you to open me a path. Can you do that?"

"Umu! You can count on me!"

"Yes…"

"Kakaka! Piece of cake!"

"Consent. We will save Shidou."

"Tis but a humble request, hueh?"

The Spirits expressed their approval one by one.

"Alright. I know this is Imouto-chan catchphrase, but…– let's begin our war (date)!"

* * *

Shidou's reiryoku was literally forming a rampart all around him, growing bigger and stronger; by its consistence, it looked like an amoeba.

For Nia, who was barehanded and with no Spiritual power to protect her, they would have to create a breach in this condensed mass of reiryoku.

They would even have to hurt Shidou a bit, as otherwise, he would immediately regenerate the barrier surrounding him.

One by one, the Spirits summoned their Angels and Limited Astral Dresses, let alone Nia and Kotori ; the first because she was still missing most of her strength, the second because Shidou had absorbed too much of her power.

" _Metatron_!"

" _Michael_!"

" _Raphael_!"

" _Zadkiel_!"

" _Haniel_!"

" _Gabriel_!"

" _Sandalphon_!"

Eight Spirits with limited powers against a berserk high school student holding the power of a god.

And yet, they still moved on.

Origami was the first one to strike.

"Metatron: Sun Shemesh!"

Several energy blasts were released, colliding and exploding when entering in contact with the energy surrounding Shidou.

However, it was not enough to create a breach.

Origami bit her lip but did not give up.

Concentrating herself, she invoked her Angel once again.

"Metatron: Crown Cannon Artelif!"

The pillars floating around her took the form of a cannon and fired a giant beam of light.

Normally, she would not be able to use this ability with only her Limited Astral Dress without collapsing.

But behind her, Miku was using her Voice with Gabriel to raise her mental power, and Natsumi, imitating Gabriel with Haniel, was doing the same.

The shockwave of the impact created a curtain of dust, but at least, Origami had managed to somehow pierce Shidou's defense, even a bit.

Seeing the opportunity, a shadow flied to Shidou.

Tohka, riding the Yamai Sisters' wind at an incredible speed, raising her sword Angel, Sandalphon.

Kaguya and Yuzuru were to stay behind, and, taking advantage of the opening created by their friends, use their wind to project Nia on Shidou when the time would come.

"Forgive me-Shidou!"

Tohka apologized while swinging her sword. She intended to knock him out by striking with only the flat side of the blade.

However, with a blank gaze, troubled only by the red colour of his tears, Shidou blocked her attack with one hand.

" **Aa,a,a,ahh…** "

Even in this state, he still possessed reflexes. He would still defend himself and attack those hostile to him.

Immobilized, Tohka was in quite a predicament, but at this moment.

"Raphael: El Re'em!"

"Raphael: El Na'ash!"

The Yamai Sisters summoned their respective Angel weapons.

"Confirmation. Kaguya!"

"Yes, Yuzuru!"

The twins combined their Angels and strength; Yuzuru's pendulum becoming a bow and Kaguya's lance the arrow.

"Come on, let me say it!" implored Kaguya.

"Sigh. Approbation", Yuzuru said with a mixed face.

Kaguya displayed a broad smile and spoke with a passionate voice:

"Kakaka! Reveal yourself! The Black Wind Spear that destroys everything. Show them! Sturm Lanze: El Kanaph!"

Kaguya's dark spear was released.

Shidou let go of Tohka's Sandalphon, and his hand released a stream of energy. When it collided with the Yamai Sisters' attack, a tremendous shockwave shook the ground.

However, Shidou's attack was stronger and was about to devour Tohka, Yuzuru and Kaguya.

"Michael: Rātaibu."

Mukuro opened a giant hole, absorbing the reiryoku and releasing it toward the sky, resulting in a formidable firework.

Then, at this moment, where all the combatants were exhausted and distracted, a silhouette with a rabbit shape moved behind Shidou, whose reiryoku barrier was temporarily gone.

"Zafkiel!"

Yoshino and Yoshinon froze Shidou's lower body, preventing any movement from him; as Zafkiel was capable of freezing inconsistent things like spiritual energy and Territory, it would block Shidou's reiryoku even for five seconds.

These five seconds were all the time the Yamai Sisters needed to use their wind on Nia, throwing her like a Pokéball on Shidou.

Nia somehow manage not to lose her balance and embraced Shidou as soon as she was in range.

"Gotcha!"

Shidou still looked in pain, not reacting at Nia's contact. No, in fact it was as if he did not see her.

His eyes were empty.

Maybe, he was, already…

Nia shook her head with vigor to chase this idea away.

"No! I know you're still here… Shidou!"

However, Yoshino's ice melted at the same time. Shidou once again released a tempest of negative reiryoku, forcing the other Spirits to retreat.

"Nia is… We need to save–ah…"

Tohka was ready to get back in the fight, but she had eventually reached her limit, out of Spiritual power.

Her Astral Dress vanished, as well as the others', leaving them powerless to witness the terrible fate of Shidou and Nia.

Much to their surprise, Nia was still clinging to Shidou.

"She…but without her Astral Dress…" Kotori gasped.

She knew better than anyone that confronting a field of Spiritual energy without an Astral Dress or a Realizer was almost suicidal.

From their point of view, Shidou had also reached his limits. Drowned in a cyclone of reiryoku, even they could feel it was a question of minutes before he would "explode".

* * *

"Ughh, ughh…"

Nia was entwined with Shidou, holding him as tightly as she could. She would not let go. She would never let go of him.

But the pain was unbearable. She could not even scream.

Shidou's negative energy was penetrating her, submitting every nerve of her body to torture.

It felt like her body was pierced with tens of thousands of burning needles, her skin plunged in acid, her flesh torn apart.

In comparison, DEM's torture she had endured was child play.

Nia closed her eyes.

She was trying, only through physical contact, to reach Shidou's heart and bring him back.

Deep inside her, she knew he was still there, somewhere.

But she needed him to respond her request, her feelings.

"Boy…" Nia articulated.

When she called Shidou by the nickname she was usually using, his body twitched a bit.

His murderous energy was still overflowing, but at least, his body reacted.

"If you hear me…stop this… and… come back!"

Shidou' was now trembling, but Nia could not tell if it was thanks to her or because he was about to reach the point of non-return.

(No. I know he hears me. I just need to push him further… I just need him to react…)

She had saved her trump card for this moment. It was now or never.

In every anime she had watched, every game she had played, there was an ultimate ace to use only when the situation of a loved one seemed desperate.

The legendary trap card known as—

"Boy…we made a promise, remember? So… keep it!"

—A promise.

* * *

**-The day following Nia and Shidou's date, in Nia's room-**

After several anime marathons, Nia and Shidou were playing the last Super Smash Bros Melee together.

Shidou had picked Ridley to test him, however, Nia had chosen her favorite play, the Ice Climbers.

She was literally crushing Shidou, not even offering him the slightest chance of victory.

"Nnggg… I can…"

Shidou was about to try a frontal attack when Nia unleashed her final smash, popping an ice mountain on the middle of the screen.

"Nooo!"

Shidou desperately tried to avoid it, but as soon as she did, Nia unleashed furry of hits on his poor character.

"Mudamudamudamudamuda!" Nia yelled, possessed as she hit her controller.

Eventually, Shidou's suffering came to an end with his defeat.

After that, the two of them sighed of contentment.

"Ah… I give up. You are too strong for me, Nia-sensei."

"Umu. Know your place, Boy!"

They laughed together.

They were sitting on the carpet, their back against Nia's bed, in front of Nia's television screen; it was already late in the night, and bit by bit, fatigue was taking over.

Especially for Shidou, who had used Angels to get copies of books the same day…

But they were happy to share such moments. Sharing a passion with someone was wonderful.

And they were secretly happy to be together.

Nia yawned, stretched her arms, and let her neck rest on her bed, looking at the ceiling. She was smirking.

"Thank you for playing with me, Boy. It's been decades since I had so much fun playing with someone. No… I never really invited someone to pay with me to begin with…"

Shidou was flattered but felt uneasy at Nia's self-depressive words.

"Do you want something to drink?" Shidou proposed, getting up, changing the subject.

"A beer for me. Take one if you want."

"… I'm still a minor, you know…"

"Aw, no fun."

Shidou smiled and went to the fridge to get Nia a can of beer.

When he came back in the bedroom, Nia had closed her eyes. Her breathe was regular, and, half sleeping like this, she was terribly cute with her glasses still on.

Shidou admired this sight for a few seconds and quietly let the can at her feet.

He then started to tidy up the room, also putting in order the books by series and throwing in a bag the empty packages.

All of sudden, Nia's voice called him.

"Hey, Boy."

He turned his head. Nia's eyes were still closed, but she was indeed awake.

"Yes?"

"…do you believe in being born again?"

Shidou frowned at Nia's unexpected question.

"Being born again? Like, reincarnation?"

"Yup. You're born again as someone else."

"Huh..."

Shidou, like everyone, had gave thought to this idea. It seemed unrealistic to him, but he liked the concept.

Living a different life each time one died looked better than to rot for eternity in a coffin...

"Well… not really…" he admitted.

Nia's voice was a soft whisper.

"You see, even if I were to die, I would absolutely, positively be born again and come to see you again."

Shidou's heartbeat suddenly increased.

"So, let's play together at that time, okay?"

There was only one answer he could, would give in that situation.

"Yes."

"That's a promise, then? Even if one of us die… We'll come back and play that revenge match, okay?"

"… do you really think I have this overpowered ability?.. But yes. If I were to reincarnate… to be born again… I would."

"Me too!"

They exchanged a smile.

* * *

**-Present Time-**

A miracle happened.

A few seconds after Nia ordered Shidou to keep his promise, a miracle happened.

Did he remember that promise, was it Nia's voice, her contact, or simply everyone prayers who brought him back?

No one knew and no one cared.

Shidou's negative reiryoku was gone, replaced by a bright, white light emanating from his entire body.

They did not even need Maria's analysis to know that Shidou was no longer in his Inverse Form.

He looked like bathed with a divine light.

Nia, who was still holding him tightly, was still in pain because of the amount of pure negative power she had endured.

Yet, she was somehow feeling fine and warm. All of her internal wounds seemed…cured.

Then.

Nia realized that… Shidou was also embracing her, and his energy was healing her.

His voice, his normal, gentle voice, resounded in her ear.

"Sorry… Nia" he apologized.

Nia's heart skipped a beat but she soon recovered from the shock. It was like a dream. She was… happy. Relieved, all her tension and fears going away.

Shidou was here with her. Only that mattered.

"Boy…I–" she began.

But words were stuck.

Because, the instant she wanted to take a step back to look at Shidou in the eyes, Shidou collapsed on the ground.

"Ah…"

Nia heard footsteps and exclamations. The other Spirits were now all with them, kneeling at Shidou's feet, all around him.

None of them could utter a single word.

Nia's eyes eventually fell on Shidou.

His body was still bathed with a strong, bright light, but… something was off. The tears of blood on his cheeks were now dry.

There was no wound, no mark at all on his body. Shidou was not hurt, not in away way, and yet… somehow, it gave the feeling that his body was dying.

Yes. Shidou looked perfectly fine. So why…

" _From the scan's data… Shidou…_ "

Even Maria, who was an AI, had trouble to form her sentences. All the Spirits were waiting for her analysis.

" _Shidou's body… despite its adaptation to the Sephira Crystals, did not sustain the shock caused by his Inverse Form. As you know… pure Qlipha Crystals have nefarious effects if absorbed by someone who is not a wizard. The fact that your Sephira Crystals were transferred to Shidou is unnatural itself, but, when the nines turned back into their Qlipha form…_ "

Nia was starting to understand.

" _It caused tremendous damages to Shidou's body. However, because of the amount of reiryoku he absorbed when he took Mio's Sephira Crystal, he automatically healed his wounds. But the reiryoku he unconsciously uses to heal himself is the same that hurts him._

" _It's a vicious circle. Shidou is healing and hurting at the same time… and now, his body cannot endure it anymore. Despite his almost divine capabilities, Shidou is still a human. When his body dies… no matter the amount of reiryoku he possesses…_ "

Maria left the rest unsaid.

Yes.

Dead could not be brought back to life.

That was the reason why Mio had started her quest, thirty years ago. And no matter what happened, you could not resurrect someone.

Nia looked at her friends, seeking for help, anything. However, it seemed that they were still trying to understand Maria's words.

Despite all of their efforts.

Despite their hopes.

Shidou was…

Nia was trying to find an idea. Every second counted.

No human way could save Shidou. She had to think about the possibilities offered by the Spirits.

But in this situation, most of them were useless.

Camael, Michael, Gabriel, Zadkiel, Haniel, Metatron, Raphael, Sandalphon… none of them could used to save Shidou.

Plus, all of the Spirits able to summon theirs were exhausted.

Nia thought of Kurumi. Apparently, she had been killed by Mio, Mio had taken her Sephira Crystal, and Shidou…

Yes. Shidou still possessed Zafkiel, and with it, the time travel ability.

If only they could…

But, one glance at Shidou was enough to tell Nia that he was not in position to execute an action requiring a lot of concentration.

Shidou did not even know how to wield Zafkiel. Asking him to send one of them through time in this situation was suicide.

They would only make things worse.

It could not be.

It could not be the end of it.

Their story.

Shidou's.

It could not end like this…

Long ago, Nia had felt so powerful when summoning Rasiel.

She was not drunk of power, but there was something exciting in the fact that by saying one word, she could have access to an absurd amount of information.

With only one word, she could learn things that could destroy people and relations alike.

Words taught her so many things.

But now, words were useless.

"If words have the power to dictate our lives…I want to change this world into one where we never lose anyone so suddenly…" Nia whispered to herself.

Her eyes were attracted by a shiny ray, a few steps away from Shidou.

Amidst the ruins and the debris.

A gem shaped object, emitting a silver glow.

Nia's eyes widened.

On her four, she crawled to the emplacement of the object.

"This, is…"

Nia's Sephira Crystal was lying there.

Of course, she could not know that it had rolled here after Shidou had killed Westcott.

(Rasielmon…)

Nia came up with a plan within a second. Without giving it a second thought, she touched her Sephira Crystal.

A storm of sensations invaded her entire being. However, she remained conscious during this short time.

"Nia, what is…" Kotori choked on her own words, seeing Nia in her Astral Dress, Rasiel in hand.

"But how…"

"Everyone, move. I need to…" Nia began. "I will save Boy."

She opened Rasiel on a blank page and took the pen that was attached on the veil on her head.

If Tohka, Yoshino, Kaguya and Mukuro were looking at her with round eyes, the others seemed to understand.

"Future describing…" Natsumi murmured.

Yes. Aside from absolute knowledge, the future describing was one of Rasiel's abilities.

Put it shortly, anything written in Rasiel would happen.

Nia liked to draw scenes instead of simply writing them. But in this situation, she needed a precise script, like the one she would draw for her manga, [SILVER BULLET].

With a trembling hand, Nia started to write, with no nicknames, as it could affect the future.

_"Shidou heals and feels better. He laughs, smiles wryly as he always does, and apologizes for causing so much troubles._

_After that, every girl he seduced jumps on him. Kotori scolds him and cries at the same time. Miku and Origami try to take advantage of the situation and strip him, while Natsumi makes a disgusted yet relieved face._

_Yoshino hugs him tightly, as Mukuro and Mana do. Tohka pats his head, Kaguya and Yuzuru pressure him from both sides._

_And, in the end, Shidou pronounces the name of the one whom he loves."_

Nia dropped her pen.

She was not used to use her future describing ability with words but, she had injected all of her will into them.

Nia smiled. Usually, it took at least a few seconds for the "prediction" to happen.

She looked at Shidou.

And.

Shidou was smiling, looking at her.

Her heart ready to explode, Nia came closer. She was ready to retreat, as, within a few seconds, the other Spirits would jump on him as predicted.

"I'm sorry."

Nia's heart stopped.

What. Did. Shidou. Say.

He was supposed to laugh. He was supposed to laugh. Laugh, smile, apologize. So why…

Shidou's eyelids seemed heavy.

His voice was a whisper.

"I know what you tried, Nia. I would have done the same thing. But… it's too late."

"Shut up!" Nia exclaimed.

She did not realize that she was crying, again.

As was everyone else.

Kotori, Yoshino, Mukuro, Kaguya, Yuzuru, Origami, Tohka, Natsumi, Mana, Miku.

None of them could resist the overflowing tears.

For Shidou himself told them that it was too late.

"Shut up!" Nia repeated. "You'll be fine, okay?! Rasielmon is… just… jammed… I'll rewrite it… and you'll be fine!"

Nia took her pen again.

She wrote the same paragraph and waited.

Nothing.

She made a drawing of Shidou smiling, feeling better and waited.

Nothing.

"Why…Why?!:"

Then, she remembered.

Because of all the Sephira Crystals Shidou had absorbed… he was probably immune to Rasiel's effects.

It did not matter if they were positive or negative. They would simply not affect him.

"Ah…Ahh…"

Nia's sorrow was enough for her to turn Inverse, and yet, she did not.

Because, if she did, she could not stay with Shidou.

At the contrary, Shidou looked calm, at ease.

The Spirits were not.

"Ah… Nushi-sama, nay…Nay… Muku wishes… Nushi-sama to… live… love Muku… Muku shall always…"

"Shidou-san… you will… feel better… right?... Right?..."

"Come on… this is, not… funny… I promise… I will change, I will stop believing that everything will end in a bad way… so… Shidou… stop…"

"Incomprehension. Why… Shidou... cannot…"

"You are our property, remember?... The hurricane child's property… we will not allow you to…"

"Darling… I always knew you had wonderful talent for drama… I know I told you that it didn't bother me if we were to die together… But… that was a joke… I don't… I don't want you to… You can stop now…"

"Nee… Shi..dou… why do you… stay here?... Get up… I want to go on a date with you… I… You said you'd accept me even more…"

"Nii-sama. Nii-sama…"

Only Kotori and Origami remained silent.

Origami, as her two personalities were devastated, had an empty gaze, tears dripping on the ground.

Kotori was gritting her teeth and clenching her fist so hard she was trembling.

"Onii-chan… forgive me… I failed as a commander… as a little sister… because of me…"

Kotori had always felt responsible of Shidou's condition. After all, she was the first Spirit sealed by him.

"If only I did not… If only I…"

"You're wrong."

Shidou interrupted her. Kotori, bewildered, listened to him.

"It's not because of you. My very existence is but an abnormality. Dead… should not be brought back to life. In the first place… Had I not existed, had Shinji Takamiya not existed, none of you would have being turned into a Spirit. Without Mio… Without me… You would all have lived normal lives. Even, if you had pitiful lives before… I'm the one responsible for this…"

Even if most of the Spirits had accepted Mio's offer of power to obtain something in return or because of problems, in the end, they had lived years in solitude because of that.

"That's why… it was my very duty to save you. All of you. I would make the same choice, again and gain. I would never, could never blame you."

He sighed and everyone realized how pale he was. Shidou, usually so lively, so _cool_ , looked so fragile.

"I will just… destroy the Sephira Crystals before I go. Unlike Mio, I am human, so, I can do that."

Mio, who was the First Spirit, could not suicide, nor decide to destroy herself. She _was_ a part of the Crystal, a living entity of reiryoku. Self-destruction was not possible to her.

But Shidou…

"By doing so… you will be able to live normal lives."

"IDIOT!"

Nia shouted.

"Do you really think… we will live normal lives…after losing you?! My life… our lives, only have meaning _because you reached us!_ "

She raised her fist, as to hit Shidou, but contained herself.

"Do you really think… we can go on… and forget you?..."

This time, Shidou did not smile.

"… you will forget me."

"Denial. Impossible" Yuzuru immediately replied in a soft whisper, as the other Spirits did the same.

"No… you will forget I even existed… Because, if you remember me, you'll be sad. And I promised Shinji, I would never make someone sad again."

"What are you…" Nia gasped.

Shidou began to shine so much he almost blinded them.

"… I'm sorry, Nia. I'm sorry… but our promise will-'

Nia never heard the rest of Shidou's words.

She only understood one word.

" **Ain.** "

The world disappeared in a white light.

* * *

Thanks to Mio's memories, Shidou knew that the void Angel Ain would eradicate, erase the target from the reality.

He also knew that, as long as the Spirits would remember him, they would grieve and regret.

So, he had to disappear. Disappear not only from their lives, but also from their memories.

Shidou gathered all of his will and called Ain with only one wish: erase him, from the world, and from everyone's minds.

In the end, it was a very simple wish.

He just wanted to completely disappear, so nobody would even remember him. Remember was not the right word.

Nobody would know that a human called Itsuka Shidou ever existed.

It was different from locking memories like Mukuro's Michael ability.

He would simply erase them. Erase all trace of him. It would not have consequences on the timeline, like using Zafkiel; only that he would not be part of the world anymore.

The world was remade with the following rule: Itsuka Shidou did not exist anymore.

Shidou disappeared from all the photo albums of his adoptive parents and all the pictures taken by friends, from the school's albums too.

He disappeared from every register. He disappeared from the memories of his family, his relatives, every person whom ever met him, be it the cashier at his usual konbini, or his teachers.

Shidou's secret diaries, his books, everything that once belonged to him disappeared. Even the saves of his video games.

However.

Shidou, in his last instant of consciousness, spared one thing.

And after that.

Itsuka Shidou left this world, never to be remembered.

* * *

**-Six months later-**

Human brain can sometimes, when confronted to a blank, re-create memories from scratch to explain events we do not remember.

Because of that, none of the Spirits felt that something was off after the incident.

Just because Shidou was gone did not mean Ratatoskr did not exist, nor the Spirits.

Shidou did not change history; he simply erased his existence; everything that happened thanks to him really happened, but for all the protagonists, they simply happened differently.

Thanks to that, all of the Spirits had been saved and DEM had been destroyed.

However, all the events involving Shidou had been replaced with new memories in everyone's mind.

Ratatoskr was still an organization with the objective of protecting Spirits.

The version of the events they all remembered was that when the Spirits appeared, one by one, Ratatoskr sheltered them by offering them protection, instead of chasing them like DEM and the AST.

Mana Takamiya had been rescued from DEM's clutches, as she was before that a test subject to create powerful wizards. To repay her debt to Ratatoskr, she had become her main combat asset.

Many fights with Deus Ex Machina Industries ensued, but Ratatoskr always beat them one way or another.

And, two months ago, DEM went all in against Ratatoskr in a furious and devastating battle.

During the fight, the First Spirit, who was all this time Reine, had revealed herself and destroyed the two organizations' fleets.

During this disaster, Ellen Mathers, Isaac Westcott as well as Elliot Woodman and Artemisia Ashcroft died.

However, after a fierce and final battle against Reine, they managed to triumph and the First Spirit returned to nothingness.

In the end, they did not even discover the objective of Reine and why she had been distributing Sephira Crystals all this time.

That being said, as she was the origin of all the other Spirits powers, her death and disappearing caused them to turn into normal humans again.

The girls were still living near the Itsuka household, under Ratatoskr observation –with Karen Mathers as chairwoman of the organization- to make sure they was no sign of Spirit reiryoku emergence.

Strange fact, no matter how hard they tried, Kotori's parents never remembered why they had picked a house with three bedrooms, since Kotori was their only child.

* * *

Nia had resumed her daily life as an otaku mangaka in her apartment.

Sleepless nights to make it for the deadline, or to play and read. Of course, she would still spend time with the other Spirits, especially Natsumi, or hang out in Akihabara with Kaguya.

She was living her life as she desired, and yet, she felt that she missed something.

The publication of her manga, [SILVER BULLET], was coming to its end and she was still searching a new idea for her next manga.

* * *

Nia, in her bedroom and in underwear (her favorite "outfit" when she was alone), was searching for her Nintendo Switch when she found, amidst the books and otaku stuff, an unknown doujin.

Intrigued, she looked at the book, trying to remember its origin.

Nothing came to her mind, which was weird; despite the absurd amount of merch Nia's apartment contained, she remembered every one of the books she had bought or obtained.

"Curious…"

What as curious was the book's cover. There was no title, no author's signature, not even the doujin circle's name, which was necessary when selling one's labor.

On the front cover, there was a character who was apparently a high school student, wearing a uniform, with blue hair and bands down to his neck.

He was displaying a serious face, in a cool pose, rolling up one of his sleeves.

Intrigued, Nia opened the book.

Again, there was no trace of the author or the circle's names; not even the printer's watermark nor a website url.

The story began with a girl holding superpowers.

Because of this mighty power, the humans denied the girl. The girl was feeling lonelier, day after day.

She only knew the feeling of solitude.

But, one day, she encountered a unnamed boy. The boy, was kind, brave and altruist. He saved the girl, accepted her. He gave her shelter, affection and attention.

After that, he met many other girl holding the same powers as the first one, and those girls opened their hearts to him due to his honest will.

"Really, strange…" Nia murmured.

The story itself reminded her the Spirits' one. Girls in solitude, possessing powers, and saved by someone else.

Excepted that, they were saved by Ratatoskr, not by a boy. It seemed very unrealistic. There was no way a boy would be this cool in real life.

On top of that, the art of the drawings seemed different from page to page. It was not bothering, but still, it looked like several skilled people worked at the same time on this book.

When Nia achieved the book, an unknown feeling was dwelling up inside of her.

Yes. This book was far from being a masterpiece.

The drawings were okay, and so was the art, but it was nothing extraordinary.

The main character was too cool to exist, the girls looked naïve to be seduced by such a guy.

In addition, the number of pages was not enough to properly develop the main character's feelings and history.

And, even more frustrating, it looked like the book had been created by ghosts. No name, no url, no Twitter, no nothing… how were the readers supposed to find them?

Because of that, even if there was a next book, Nia could not find it.

"Seriously… have they been erased of reality by some kind of super tier magic?..." Nia mumbled.

And despite all of that… Nia liked the book.

It was a inextricable feeling, she could not define. It was not joy nor happiness… more like… nostalgia? Grief?

The kind of thing she would only feel when watching a sad anime or visual novel. So… why?...

Nia closed the book and looked at the front cover, to the nameless main character.

_Drop._

"…eh?..."

_Drop. Drop._

Water was falling on the face of the high school Boy.

"What… is it?..." Nia complained, placing the book away from her, and wiping her eyes.

However, she could not help it.

Nia was crying, with a terrible feeling tearing her heart apart.

She had only read a book, and yet, it felt like she had lost her most precious treasure.

The overflowing tears would not stop.

Formless things turned colour.

She saw someone, like in a dream.

And, in a finite time.

Her heart and his connected.

**\- THE END -**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Why a bad end?" Or bad... well, this is not a "they had many children and lived happily" end for sure.
> 
> Maybe, because, sometimes things do not end well? I don't really know myself. I just felt, when writing the story, that it could not, would not end well.
> 
> Sadness is not beautiful, but there is beauty in sadness. Because you feel sad sometimes, you enjoy other things better.
> 
> And, here, I also wanted Shidou to portray the hero until the end.
> 
> A hero is not necessarily someone who will be thanked and glorified by everyone.
> 
> A hero protects the others, including from himself, even if it costs him everything. That's what a true hero does.
> 
> So, the way I see him, if it was not to make other people suffer, especially because of him, Shidou would gladly give his life, his existence, to protect the ones he loves.
> 
> Even if he is not to be remembered, a true hero will do necessary things to protect the others. That's at least my point of view.
> 
> Again, thank you for reading me. Even if you do not review, I truly hope you had a good time reading this short story.
> 
> It's really strange. When I tell friends I write fanfics, they ask me if I get paid. Of course not. I invest so much time like everyone writing fics, but I know that people from all around the world read me and eventually get touched by the words I put together.
> 
> That is really something I can be proud. Even if I were to die tomorrow, and ask myself "what meaning did my life had?" I'd at least know I made some people smile. That sounds cliché but I assure you this is how I feel.
> 
> So, again, thank you.


	12. Epilogue?

"Mhh, mmhh, mhh ~"

Nia was humming her favorite anime opening, as she was walking in the Weekly Shōnen Blast office.

The sight of such a beauty walking perfectly at ease in such a building attracted the employees' gazes.

Of course, no one knew that the famous Honjou Souji, the author of the popular manga [SILVER BULLET], was a girl.

Nia had all the reasons to be happy as she was almost dancing in the large hallways of the building.

Her editor had confirmed her the idea of her next manga. They would still have to find a name, but they had agreed on roughly the number of books and the plot.

She had been inspired by the mystery doujin she had found in her room the other day, and decided to turn it into a manga.

Nia felt some kind of connection to the book. She could not explain it, but there was _something_ inside that attracted her.

Of course, she hated plagiarism but she had the envy and the feeling that she _had_ to write a continuation to this book.

There was absolutely no trace of the authors, she had even uploaded several pictures on most of the otaku websites, asking people and even her fans if they knew by chance the circle of the doujin, in vain.

She suspected that it was maybe the only existing copy of the book.

When Nia took the decision to rewrite and carry on with the story, she thought that she needed some fan service with an unusual note that would make it original and spicy. After all, stories sexy girls holding superpowers were common.

Since Nia was also an otome gamer, she had the idea of creating a lambda protagonist who could acquire the girls' powers by kissing them (because something too extreme would have been R18ed).

It was not too lewd (at least in her opinion) and her editor was seduced by the idea.

Nia eventually reached the exit of the building, and as soon as she stepped outside, a cold wind gave her chills.

She closed her leather jacket and began to walk to the nearby train station.

As expected of Tenguu City, the streets, despite the early hour, were crowded with people.

When she reached the train station, a train was by chance already there; people were coming out, as the other passengers waited to jump in.

Nia joined the queue, trying to warm up her hands, and patiently waited for her turn to get inside the wagon.

Once inside, she took a sit, enjoying the ambient warmth.

She then nonchalantly looked through the window, in the typical anime character pose.

However.

A figure walked and passed in front of her, outside, separated by the train's window.

The sight lasted only one second but it made Nia's heart jump.

Nia, dazed, finally get a grip on herself and, twisting her head, tried to look out for the figure. But, from her position in the train, she could only see someone walking away.

Taking a decision right away, Nia forced her way out of the car, pushing away people and apologizing at the same time.

When she eventually managed to get out, she had already lost the sight of the person she was looking for.

As she was desperately trying to find it, she caught a glimpse of a hair, not far from her, in the crowd.

Nia, breathing hard, ran, through the stream of people. Strangely, she could even hear her heartbeat.

After what looked to her an eternity, she managed to catch up and, forgetting her manners, put her hand on the shoulder of a boy whom looked like a high school student.

He was what one could call a plain boy, with straight blue hair and bands down to his neck.

When she touched his shoulder, he turned back and gave her a surprised glare with his amber brown eyes.

Yes, this Boy exactly looked like…

"Erm, hm…" Nia muttered, suddenly embarrassed as she realized what she had just done.

The Boy tilted his head, smiling wryly in embarrassment.

Nia was blushing hard (maybe because she was calling for someone younger than her) and yet she did not know why. Finally, she managed to calm herself enough to ask him the question burning her lips.

"Excuse me… but... by chance, do we know each other?"

The Boy looked puzzled but he then looked closely at Nia.

"Eh… I think not, but… I don't know why, you look familiar…"

His voice was also embarrassed but he was honest.

Nia smiled.

"What is… your name?-"


End file.
